Someplace Good
by Nolegirl97
Summary: AU: set in the glamorous and dangerous Hollywood Hills. Olivia's career is just taking off as a young starlet. Fitz will do anything to take back a mistake he made once before.
1. Konstantine

**Hi. For those of you who follow me, and read **_**Hold Onto Me**_**, I'm sorry, but I kind of abandoned it. This whole FanFiction thing is **_**very**_** new to me, and I am learning with every step. I might go back to the story once I get this one off of the ground, because I would like to get some closure on it.**

**I feel really good about this story. Seeing how awful Season 4 has been so far (yeah, I was one of the people who tried to be optimistic about it and was still disappointed) it is almost like motivation for this one. This chapter is basically like a background opener. Expect the upcoming chapters to be much longer.**

Konsantine—Something Corporate

And you don't want to be here in the future  
>So you say the present's just a pleasant<br>Interruption to the past  
>And you don't want to look much closer<br>Because you're afraid to find out all this hope  
>You had sent into the sky by now had crashed<br>And it did  
>Because of me<p>

* * *

><p>Fitz felt all of the air being sucked out of his lungs. He played football in high school, and had felt the driving force of a 200 pound man intent on knocking him to the grass—and succeeding at it—but that was nothing compared to what he felt in that moment. Of course, he had hoped that this moment would come. Not out loud, but in his mind, he had prayed that the universe would allow for him to be in the same room as <em>her<em>.

_Her_ being Olivia Pope. Olivia Pope being the "It-Girl" of Hollywood at the moment. She had worked her way up the business in multiple small-budget yet critically acclaimed films. It wasn't until she landed the lead in Christopher Nolan's blockbuster hit that she became a household name. She won the Golden Globe for Best Actress in a Leading Role, which put her as a front runner for the Academy Award. Everybody wanted a piece of her.

He watched her from across the crowded garden. They were at a charity brunch and art auction benefiting autistic children being held at the sprawling mansion of Cyrus Beene, an established producer who "ran Tinsletown". The who's who of Hollywood were rubbing elbows. A small band performed, playing soft renditions of Etta James and Frank Sinatra in the background. The unusually warm February day allowed for the guests to spill out to the impressive back yard.

Fitz let his eyes shamelessly wander all over Olivia's body. She wore a lavender maxi dress that hugged her tiny waist and flowed freely down to a pair of wedges adding at least four inches to her petite frame. Her hair was pressed straight with the strands framing her face pulled back in a barrette.

"Babe, you're staring."

Mellie's low, cautious voice pulled him from his day dream as he turned to his date. She looped her arm through his as if to pull his attention back to her, and handed him a glass of bourbon. Mellie was pretty, but he never thought of her as beautiful. She and Fitz both grew up together in Hollywood as the children of a celebrities. They watched out for each other growing up in the cold-blooded business. Mellie acted in a few romantic comedies in her twenties, but became bored with acting. Now, she just made her living by various investments, a stint on _Dancing with the Stars_, and some endorsement deals. Fitz thought of her as his best friend. She was brilliant. She knew everything about the business and was always brutally honest with him.

They had a sort of agreement that they would be each other's date to events until they found someone better. There was nothing worse than awards season with no date. Being more of a behind-the-scenes pairing, the tabloids simply weren't interested in them, so they never really had to explain themselves or worry about optics. Fitz was a director with a couple nominations under his belt, but nothing astounding. He was well known and respected in the industry, but he was rarely stopped on the street for a picture or autograph.

"Do you really think that is a good idea?" Mellie followed his gaze to Olivia chatting animatedly with a friend. "I mean, considering…"

"Do I think _what_ is good idea?" Fitz challenged, feigning ignorance and pulling a sizable amount of bourbon between his lips.

"Don't play stupid. It isn't attractive."

Fitz put his hand on the small of Mellie's back, guiding her in the opposite direction from Olivia. "I am not thinking of it at all. End of story."

/

Olivia could feel his presence. Even though they were separated by an expansive lawn and at least a hundred other acquaintances, she could feel him. It was an unwavering, annoying tug at her gut.

"Dear, God," Abbey, her red head, spit-fire friend gasped. Abbey and Olivia had just met on set of a film they were shooting together. They immediately took to being close friends. Olivia didn't have many intimate friends in the business, so it was refreshing to have someone like Abbey who was so open and candid.

"What?"

"Fitzgerald Grant is staring at you. I wish there was a word stronger than staring. It is almost rude. Look!"

"I'm not going to _look_." Olivia shot back. "That is only going to make it awkward."

"He's clearly smitten. Have you met him before?"

"No." Olivia answered, almost too quickly.

"Well, I can introduce you to him. I met him at party last year. He's really charming. Having Fitzgerald Grant the III throwing googly eyes at you isn't the worst thing in the world—"

"No, thanks. Come on. I just saw Harrison Wright over there. I want to say hey to him before I leave."

"Why are you leaving? The auction hasn't even started yet."

"I wasn't planning on staying for long to begin with. I've been feeling funny all day. I just wanted to show my face, and write a check to the charity." The truth was Olivia didn't want to stand another minute where facing Fitz face to face was possible. "Plus, I have to be on set tomorrow morning, and I need my rest."

"Whatever then. I have tomorrow morning off, but I'll be there after lunch to shoot that scene on the balcony. See you then."

"Bye."

Olivia made her way to the front of the house. She said hello to some of the people she knew, not wanting to be rude. It took her much longer than she expected to finally reach her car. When she finally found her sleek black Audi, she slipped behind the wheel. Olivia turned the key in the ignition, and tried to let the purr of the engine calm her nerves. There was nobody walking around the area where the cars were parked. She was nonetheless thankful for the tinted windows hiding her in case someone did try wander out to the lot.

Olivia bowed her head to the steering wheel, desperately trying not to do the one thing she had held out for so long: cry. As she focused on steadying her ragged breaths, she chided herself for letting him get the best of her. She didn't even see him for Christ's sake. Just one mention of his name, and he had her borderline sobbing in her parked car.

She had worked for so long and hard. She put all of her energy into her work, which of course paid off. She all but forgot he even existed, pushing him completely out of her consciousness. All of that effort could be thrown down the drain. He still had a stake on her.

God, she hated him. She wanted to punch him squarely in the jaw and make him hurt the way he hurt her. She wanted to wave a magical wand and disappear him from the face of the earth, erasing every interaction they had ever had.

She realized how ridiculous she was being, and dabbed the tears from her eyes. With a deep, settling breath and a shaky hand to the gear shift, she put her car in reverse.

_TAP. TAP. TAP._

Olivia jumped. She turned to see a figure standing right outside of her car window. A figure she would recognize anywhere. _You knew this day would come, Olivia._ She couldn't just drive off. That would be the most childish thing she could do. He would probably even benefit from it in some twisted, egotistical way.

_Time to be Olivia Pope. No more 'Livvie' to him. We both know that things shatter when I am just 'Livvie'._

Olivia rolled her window down completely, waning whatever wall of defense she thought she held.

"Hi."

"Hi."

**So… Let me know what you thought of it! There is obviously some unspoken history in the mix. Also, don't crucify me for painting Mellie in a positive light. I don't know what the f is going on with s4 Mellie, but I really enjoyed s1-2 where she was a powerful political player and a force to be reckoned with. I want to keep it like that. That doesn't mean she won't have claws to pull out in a couple chapters…**

**The next one will be up soon!**


	2. The Worst

The Worst—Jhené Aiko

So why would you show up  
>So uninvited then<br>Just change my mind like that  
>Please don't take this personal<br>But you ain't shit  
>And you weren't special<br>Til I made you so  
>You better act like you know<br>That I been through worse than you  
>I just can't keep runnin' away<p>

* * *

><p><strong>4 YEARS AGO<strong>

Olivia sat erect in the metal, foldable chair. When she studied at Julliard, they taught her to exude confidence from the second she walked in the door. Make the other girls think that you _know_ you have it in the bag. The air conditioner was on hyper mode, making the room almost unbearably cold. Fifteen other girls sat around her nervously flipping through their scripts. They had all made it through the first round of auditions with the casting director. Today, they would audition before the director, producer, and male lead.

Olivia was 22, fresh out of college. Acting was her life. She performed in theater companies in Boston all through her high school years. She worked her ass off to be accepted into Julliard. Now it was time to prove that she had what it took to actually make a living as an actress on the other side of the country.

This was her first audition process for a movie role. It was for Fitzgerald Grant's film. She had done her research on him. Anyone who had met him, called him Fitz. Wikipedia told her that he was the son of "Big Gerry" Grant who was a big shot director in the 90s. Big Gerry had multiple sordid affairs with actresses and even a few prostitutes. He died of a heart attack almost a year ago.

Fitz's record, however, was squeaky clean. It was obvious that he used his connections to get him where he is at such a young age, but he still had talent. Hollywood Reporter named him "the filmmaker to keep an eye on." His debut film won an award at the Sundance Film Festival, and this one would prove that he wasn't a one-shot wonder.

A lanky assistant appeared in the door frame. "Which one of you wants to go first?"

"I do." Olivia shot up confidently, not giving any of the other girls a chance to speak up.

"Alright. Come with me." She followed him into the adjacent room.

/

"Cyrus, I don't care what Hollis Doyle wants to do with the film. This is _my film_. I'm the creative director. At the end of the day, my name is on the credits, and I don't want it to follow a piece of shit. He can fund it, or he can kiss my ass. We don't need him."

"Like hell we do!" Cyrus shot back, raising his voice. "If we don't have one major financer pulling in the figure that Hollis can offer, you can kiss your beloved film goodbye. I'm sorry, princess, but that is how the real world works here. You don't have your father here to wipe your tears and write a check—"

"DON'T bring my father into this."

"I'm sorry, but this is the reality of the situation. You can't make a movie without money. You are young, handsome, with a nice head of hair filled with big, idealistic dreams, but you need to pay your dues and stay in line. Put up with Hollis's demands and play nice."

Fitz rolled his eyes and called for the assistant to bring the first girl in, effectively ending the discussion. The first girl walked in and placed her headshot and resume in front of him. She extended her hand, and Fitz looked up into the prettiest eyes he had ever seen.

"Hi. I'm Olivia Pope."

He took her hand, holding it for probably what was longer than socially acceptable. He couldn't help it. He had seen thousands of attractive girls vying for his attention and approval, but she was different. She had an air of confidence that seemed genuine. She was dressed in a plain, white, V-neck t-shirt with a pair of dark wash jeans that fit her body like a glove. It was refreshing, considering most girls came in trying to dress in character and usually missing the point. She wasn't physically fit for the role, she was too short and the script was written for a white woman, but there was _something_ about her that made him want to give her a chance.

"Hello, Miss Pope. I am Fitz Grant. The director. This is Cyrus Beene, the producer. That handsome man over there is Tom. He will read your lines to you."

Olivia shook Cyrus's hand and Tom's hand. Fitz glanced at her resume, raising an impressed eyebrow at her Julliard credential.

"Please, begin when you are ready."

Olivia poured her heart out into the audition. Her timing and technique was impeccable. When she finished, she thanked them for their time and exited.

"Wow." Fitz muttered to Cyrus. "I don't want to see any more. She is what I've been looking for. She is perfect for the role."

Cyrus didn't say anything and just flipped through the script in front of him.

"What. Didn't you like her?"

"Fitz, I thought she did a great job, but physically, it is a deal breaker. I don't know how they let her get this far. Especially considering the character is described as 'statuesque, with a mane of golden hair and porcelain skin.'" Cyrus pointed to the script where it physically described the female character.

"Come on, Cy. We can rewrite the character. It is my script anyways. Her skin color and height don't affect the plot to begin with."

"I still don't think that she is the best option. You haven't even seen the other girls."

"Tom, what did you think of her?"

"I thought she was great. She is obviously talented. I think she would be the perfect choice."

Cyrus leaned back in his chair and tiredly rubbed his eyes. "At least give the other girls a chance. At the end of the day, if you still want her, OK, but at least see the others first."

"Fine. Bring in the next one."

All of the other actresses auditioned before him. Some of them were decent, but none of them were Olivia. In fact, all of them just seemed annoying in comparison. He just wanted them to get their parts over as soon as possible. He would almost groan every time one of them took a dramatic pause. Fitz kept Olivia's headshot on the table face up. Occasionally, he would drum his finger lightly across her cheekbones, wondering what it would be like to kiss her skin. He let his mind drift into a haze as he fantasized doing the simplest things to her. Tucking a strand of hair behind her ear. Tracing patterns on the plane of her shoulder blades. Feeding her breakfast. Imagining her plump lips wrap around a strawberry made his pants uncomfortably tight. Fitz tried to push any other thoughts out of his head and focus on the girl in front of him.

"Thank you. That is enough. We'll be in touch with you to let you know." Fitz waited for the actress to be ushered out. "I am standing by Olivia Pope. I will run it by the studio and the other producers tomorrow."

**PRESENT DAY**

"What do you want?" Olivia kept her tone icy. She wanted him to know exactly how much she hated him. She remained seated in her car with him awkwardly standing outside.

"I just want to talk to you." He placed a hand on the window sill of her car, almost as if to stop her from rolling the window up and driving off. His brow was crinkled and his eyes were as sad as a grave. Olivia refused to look at him. She trained her eyes to the top of her steering wheel.

"I don't know what you would want to talk about. I have nothing to say to you. I have nothing—" Olivia's lip quivered like it did when she was fighting for control over her emotions.

"Olivia…" Fitz couldn't stand to see her hurt so bad. Half of him expected her to be over it and show indifference. Half of him expected her to openly forgive him and tell him that everything was going to be okay. But how could she? After he treated her like a piece of trash. He deserved every bit of scorn. "Look at me. Please. Let me explain."

Olivia kept her eyes glaring ahead. She knew that the second she would look at him, whatever defense wall she had would immediately crack.

Fitz leaned down to where he was eye level with her, "Livvie—"

"Don't call me that." Olivia whispered. "We both know that I am not your Livvie."

"I'm sorry. This was a bad idea. I just thought that—forget it. Never mind. Just know that I am sorry. If I could go back and change everything that went down, I would. I would have sat down with you and talked everything out. I would have been there for you. I never wanted to hurt you like I did." Fitz took a deep breath. "I don't expect you to forgive me. I just wanted to see you again. Which is selfish of me, but I also wanted to tell you congratulations…on all of your success. I am really glad that your career is turning out the way it is."

Fitz had never felt so foolish in his entire life. He looked up to see a couple making their way to a car nearby. His just awkwardly nodded and started to retreat back towards the party.

"Wait." Her voice stopped him in his tracks. He turned around just to make sure he didn't imagine it. He met her eyes in her side rear view mirror. "Get in the car."

Fitz walked back towards her running car, not quite believing what was going on. She was giving him a chance. He sat in the passenger seat and buckled his seat belt. Olivia kept her eyes on the mirrors as she pulled out and drove towards the driveway. Fitz didn't say anything, and neither did she. He was content just to drink in her presence. He went over every feature with his eyes, noticing what had stayed the same and what changed. Her face seemed thinner, like she had shed some baby weight in the four years. He hoped that was the case, instead of stress or whatever other negative things being an actress in Los Angeles could bring. Her lips, however, remained the exact same.

Olivia turned onto a side road that led past the house and garden to the rest of the land that Cyrus owned. On his property, there was a miniature apple orchard, a stable full of thoroughbreds, a pasture for the horses to graze in, a winding stream, and a couple of acres of trees. Olivia pulled her car off of the road to where the orchard started. She got out of the car and walked into the trees without saying a word. He knew where she was going. It was all he could do to keep up with her fast pace.

They finally entered a clearing that the stream led through. Olivia abruptly stopped and Fitz almost bumped into her. There was not enough room between them, and Olivia could feel his close proximity slowly casting a spell on her. Fitz didn't want to step back, even though he knew it was probably the safe thing to do.

Finally, Olivia turned around. They faced each other with salty eyes, truly making eye contact for the first time. Olivia's chest as heaving up and down with anger and something else. She couldn't find any words, so she just wound up her arm and with a swift motion, cracked him across the face. His head snapped back from the impact, but he didn't respond. Olivia sent her other fist towards his jaw. This time he reached out and grabbed her wrists. She still struggled against him, her anger just boiling into rage.

Fitz held her hands to his chest, pulling her closer to him.

"Stop it, Olivia," he whispered, "Just stop."

The next thing she did, took Fitz by the biggest surprise. Her perfect, plump lips came crashing into his. Soft and familiar, just like he remembered but salty from her tears. When he overcame his surprise, he dropped her wrist and circled his arms around her waist, pulling her closer. Her hands went to his curls, like she knew it would drive him insane. He backed them up against a tree, and ran his hands up and down the sides of her figure, trying to rememorize it. They hungrily devoured each other's lips, until oxygen became a necessity.

Fitz pulled back to breathe. Olivia just panted with her eyes closed, mouth slightly parted. Her cheeks were wet from a new set of tears. Fitz softly kissed her tear tracts. She was overwhelming his senses. He couldn't think straight. He kissed his way to her neck, and her sensitive spot right behind her ear.

Olivia moaned, squeezing her fistfuls of his hair and bringing his face back to hers. Fitz started to lift the material of her maxi dress. When he had bunched the dress up to her mid thighs, he slipped his hand underneath the fabric and groped her ass cheeks, bare from the thong she was wearing, and pulled her into his painfully hard erection.

"Fitz!" She gasped pushing him away with all of her weight.

As if on cue, Fitz phone started to ring. "What." He muttered into the phone. "Yeah, okay. I'll be there in a couple minutes. Whatever. Sorry." He hung up and turned back to Olivia. "Sorry, but its Mellie. I have to…"

"Oh, of course. I'll drive you back." They silently made their way to her car. She dropped him off at the front of the house, and then drove straight home.

**4 YEARS AGO**

Fitz had a league of disgruntled producers on his hands. None of them were excited about his choice of lead actress, but he didn't care. At the end of the day, it was his film. They could suck it and find a new job if they didn't like it.

He pulled out Olivia's cover photo and resume, dialing the number at the top of it. It rang twice before she picked up.

"Olivia Pope."

"Hey! This is Fitz Grant, the uh, director of—"

"I know who you are." She tried to stifle her giggle.

"Yes, well, I was wondering if you would want to have dinner with me. Tonight."

Olivia almost dropped the phone, she was so surprised. "Yes, I would love to."

"Great! How about I pick you up at seven."

"That works."

"I'll see you then, Liv."

The line went dead.

_Liv_? Olivia had never been called by anything other than Olivia. Nicknames made her uncomfortable, but when he said it… It warmed something inside of her. She poured herself a glass of red wine and sat down on the floor of her tiny studio apartment. She had not had any time to really furnish the place, but she had a bed, a kitchenette, a closet, and a view of the city that took her breath away every time. It was enough for the time being.

She took a sip, savoring the dark liquid on her tongue, and let her mind go to work. He wouldn't be calling if she wasn't still in the running for the part. But doesn't the process take weeks? Or at least longer than twenty four hours? She didn't hold any star power or name recognition so they couldn't have possibly already decided on her. What was the dynamic between them going to be that night? What were Fitz's intentions? Was this a business dinner? He didn't sound like it was over the phone, but she couldn't assume anything.

Whatever was going on, she would find out tonight. She walked over to her closet to pick out what to wear. She decided to treat herself to go shopping for a new dress since this seemed like the make-or-break of her career. It was all about optics. She had to appear like she didn't even need the job. Confidence was key.

At 6:50 she was putting the final touches on her makeup. She went for a smokier eye than what she was used to and settled on a nude lip color. The doorbell buzzed so she let him in. Rushing to get her shoes on and her clutch, she did one final once-over in her full length mirror. Her one-shoulder white dress accentuated her fit with a 1950s styled silhouette that was still sexy enough.

_*KNOCK KNOCK*_

"Just a minute!" She spritzed her wrists with Chanel Coco Mademoiselle and went to answer the door.

When she opened the door, she was taken aback by how sexy he looked. At the audition she was so nervous and focused on her script, that she didn't even look at him properly. But _damn_. He was wearing a dark, tailored suit with the top couple of buttons of his shirt unbuttoned. His curly hair was neatly combed, but still looked relaxed enough. His eyes were blue enough to get lost in for hours. Not to mention, he was tall.

"Hi, Liv."

"Hi. You are early."

"Yeah, traffic was really light. You look beautiful."

"Thank-you." She blushed. She turned to shut her apartment light off and then followed Fitz to the elevator.

"Have you ever been to the restaurant Mélisse?"

"No, I'm afraid I haven't been really anywhere. I have only lived here for about two weeks."

Fitz raised his eyebrow, "No way. I guess I'll have to properly introduce you to the city."

"I would like that."

They made comfortable small talk all the way to the restaurant. She was surprised at how down to earth and easy going he was. One look at his Wikipedia page, and she would have thought that he was the stereotypical industry brat with not one ounce of reality. He entertained her with stories of all of the bizarre things he witnessed growing up in Hollywood.

When they reached Mélisse, the maître d led them past where the other patrons were eating to a secluded corner. Olivia worked as a waitress at a fine dining restaurant in college, and she knew this was type of table meant for romantic couples.

Fitz pulled her chair out for her to sit in, then sat down across from her. He ordered the wine for them which, to Olivia's surprise, was one of her favorite bottles.

"How did you know that is my all-time favorite wine?"

"You are too young to have an _all-time favorite wine_."

"Hey, now. I'm twenty-two."

"Exactly. You have to be at least twenty five to form an educated opinion on wine." Fitz joked.

"Well, I had my first sip of wine when I was sixteen, so I'm practically twenty seven in wine years."

"It doesn't work like that. Come back in three years and let me know if this is still your favorite."

"Will do."

They just sat there in silence, smiling at each other. The waiter came back with the wine and they placed their orders.

"Fitz, is this a professional date or a personal date?" Olivia took a sip of her wine, a small moan almost escaped her lips.

"What do you want it to be?" His voice dropped an octave, taking them both by surprise.

Olivia bit her bottom lip, effectively turning Fitz's member on, and leaned forward. "So I guess that questions regarding my status in the auditions for your little film have to wait until later?"

"Oh, I didn't tell you?" Fitz smiled casually, dramatically reeling her in. "You got the part."

Fitz burst into laughter as the seductive look on her face immediately fell into a face of shock.

"If you are kidding, I will never forgive you."

"I'm serious. I swear. It is my call after all."

Olivia's face broke into one of the biggest, most brilliant smiles he had ever seen. Fitz reached his hand across the table and took hers in his. His thumb traced circles across the back of her hand.

"I look forward to working with you, Livvie."

_Livvie. _Another nickname that Olivia suddenly didn't mind.

* * *

><p><strong>So, we are getting a glimpse of how Fitz and Olivia got to where they are now, eh? Let me know what you think of this chapter. I'm going to update as often as possible while I'm fresh on this, so the next update should be right around the corner!<strong>


	3. Vindicated

Vindicated—Dashboard Confessional

Hope dangles on a string like slow spinning redemption  
>Winding in and winding out, the shine of it has caught my eye<br>And roped me in, so mesmerizing and so hypnotizing  
>I am captivated, I am<p>

Vindicated, I am selfish, I am wrong, I am right  
>I swear I'm right, swear I knew it all along<br>And I am flawed but I am cleaning up so well  
>I am seeing in me now the things you swore, you saw yourself<p>

* * *

><p><strong>PRESENT DAY<strong>

"What the hell where you thinking, Fitz?" Mellie turned in her seat to where she was facing Fitz, extending her seat belt to an unsafe position.

"Sit back, Mellie. I won't be responsible for your death if you go flying out of the window."

Mellie huffed as she sat back in her seat. "Why would you even go back to that place? What is your endgame?"

"Mellie…" Fitz warned. His voice dared her to keep up the topic. His eyes were steely grey and set on the interstate before him. He held a white knuckled grip of the steering wheel.

"You still love her, don't you?" Her voice was not accusatory. Mellie was trying to figure out how after four years emptying scotch bottles in one sitting and walking around with a dead glint in his eyes, Fitz would run back to the vulnerable place that ruined him to begin with. And just when he was getting back to his old self.

"Drop it." The last thing he needed was Mellie on his case when he didn't know what was going on himself.

"Fine. I'll drop it. But let me just say this. Think about what you are getting yourself into. I like Liv. I think you two are dynamic together. When you were with her, you were the happiest I had ever seen you in your entire life. It's just that the fallout is catastrophic. Do you really want to go through that again? If you think it is worth it, I will support you two. You are a grown man. Make your own decisions. Just think about the consequences."

Fitz nodded and eased up a little bit, realizing her was holding the steering wheel in a death grip. Olivia had given him something he never thought he would ever have—hope. He knew now how bad he hurt her. That much cut his gut and made him want to disappear and never cause any more harm to her beautiful life, but she had given him _hope_. She gave him an unspoken chance tonight between her hungry kisses. There was a tiny crack in the Berlin Wall that he had forced her to build, and now it was his time to earn her back. All because now he knew for a fact that he could not survive let alone truly _live_ without her.

He drove Mellie home in comfortable silence, and apologized for abandoning her earlier when he dropped her off.

**4 YEARS AGO**

Olivia hummed mindlessly to a song off of her CD that she kept in her car. She was on her way to Cyrus Beene's house for the first time. She was nervous, because today she would meet the rest of the cast and crew. Actual shooting wouldn't start for four more months, but pre-production was already in action, and the final decisions to go forward with the film had been set in place.

Olivia rolled her window down, and let the wind blow through her hair. She was sure that she had never been so genuinely happy in her entire life. As cliché as it sounded—her dreams were coming true. She was finding her niche in life, and it seemed like the years upon years of hard work was finally paying off.

She thought about the other night, when Fitz had taken her to dinner. He had put his hand on the small of her back, walking out of the restaurant. When he walked her up to her apartment, he rested his hand on her waist as he kissed her cheek goodnight. She thought about his warm breath against her skin when his lips lingered for a split second, as if they were debating to stay. She thought about his playful smirk, when he teased her over wine. The way he ran his fingers through his curly hair made her want to do the same. The way his voice changed when he said _Livvie._

Her GPS instructed her to turn off of the road onto a driveway lined with trees. She pulled up to a giant gate, and spoke her name into the intercom. As she drove down the driveway, she couldn't help but think _holy shit_. Who lives like this?

She pulled her car around the large circular driveway, and parked it. She rang the doorbell of the mansion to have Fitz himself answer it. He was wearing a pair of dark wash jeans and a crisp white button down shirt. His face immediately lit up when saw her.

"You look beautiful." He kissed her cheek and pulled her in for a friendly hug.

"I would have changed, if I knew you were going to steal my look." Olivia joked, noting that she was wearing a simple white sundress with pink flowers at the hem. They matched, coincidentally.

"Hey, now. I was here first." Fitz winked, "Come on in. I'll introduce you to everyone." Fitz led her to a gigantic parlor area, where about twenty five people were gathered. She made her rounds, introducing herself to everyone. She was having a great time getting to know her new co-workers. They all had a great sense of humor and were very welcoming. She noticed Cyrus coming down the stairs.

"Cyrus!"

"Olivia. Nice to see you again." Cyrus gave her halfhearted hug.

"You have an incredible home. I have never seen anything like it. It is incredible."

"Thanks." He nodded, almost curtly "Enjoy yourself."

He caught Fitz's eye and motioned for him to come over to his corner. Olivia took it as her cue to turn back to the group of people she was mingling with before. She couldn't help but overhear every word of their conversation.

"Hollis is going to stop by later. It would make my heart leap with joy if you actually put forth an effort with him. Especially after the big pile of—" Cyrus started.

"I got it." Fitz shot back tersely. Cyrus nodded cautiously, then turned and walked away. Fitz made awkward eye contact with Olivia. He walked over to her with his hands in his pockets.

"I'm an awful co-host. Can I get you anything to drink?" Fitz asked.

Olivia looked around to the guests who were all nursing glasses. "Yes, please." She started to walk towards where an open bar was set up, but Fitz smiled mischievously and gently pulled her away from the crowd.

"Where are you taking me?" Olivia gladly followed. She would follow him anywhere as long as his hand remained wrapped around her arm

"Cyrus's wine cellar. I'll show you your new _all-time favorite_ wine."

He took her through some rooms until they reached a tiny, winding staircase that led down. Fitz helped her down like a gentleman and flipped the light switch for the cellar. Olivia let out a low whistle as she saw the impressive wine collection.

"Are you sure you are allowed to be in here?"

"Relax," Fitz chuckled, "I've been breaking into here since I was a troublesome teenage boy."

"For some reason, that is really easy to imagine." She climbed up onto a stool

Fitz scanned the racks and pulled out a bottle. He grabbed some glasses from a cabinet and poured two glasses for him and Olivia.

"Drink." Fitz ordered playfully. Olivia craned her head to see the label on the bottle, but Fitz hid it behind his back. "Just drink."

Olivia took a slow sip, savoring the exquisite taste. It danced on her tongue like nothing she had ever tasted before. She moaned softly. "Wow."

"Yeah." Fitz grinned at her reaction as he sampled his glass.

"Is this your favorite?"

"One of them."

They drank the wine slowly, silently enjoying it together. Finally Olivia broke the silence.

"Aren't you going to tell me what it is?"

"Isn't the mystery of it appealing?" Fitz said in a slightly seductive voice.

Olivia's eyes darkened as she finished off the remaining wine. "Come here."

Fitz closed the distance between them. Olivia slightly parted her legs, allowing him to stand in between them. She set her glass on the counter behind her and put her hands on his hips, pulling him dangerously close to her. The friction of his jeans on her thigh made her panties wet.

One of her hands went up to graze where his hairline met the back of his neck. She leaned her head back and slightly parted her lips, inviting him to meet her lips. When his lips were a mere centimeters away, and she could feel his breath heavily against hers, she slipped her hand to the bottle he still held behind his back.

"Fitz, this is a $300 bottle of wine."

"Yeah. I know." Fitz said, smiling at her antics, but not retreating. He wanted to savor every moment spent this close to her. "I wanted to share it with someone special."

His last two words made her eyes snap back to his. He took the bottle from her and set in on the counter along with his glass. He took her hands and placed them back on his hips, never breaking eye contact. He took her chin tenderly in his hand and lifted it back up.

Olivia closed her eyes. She felt his other hand circle around the nape of her neck and then the soft pressure of his lips against hers. She let him control the pace of the kiss, keeping it slow. She had never been kissed like this before. It was like he was truly worshiping every centimeter of her lips. He slipped his tongue in between her lips, gently requesting access. His tongue tasted like the wine, driving her insane in the best way possible.

Olivia let one hand rise up his torso to run through his hair. His hand slid down to her back and then further to her ass. Her body felt amazing beneath his touch. She arched her body into him when he palmed her ass lightly. He was sure that she could feel his hardness through his jeans, pressed against her thigh. Their kiss was starting to lose control. When Olivia took his bottom lip in her teeth, he knew he had to stop, or else he would take her right there in the wine cellar.

"Livvie." Fitz breathed as he broke the kiss. They kept their foreheads together and tried to regulate their breathing and erratic heartbeats. It was impossible though. There was an undeniable connection in that kiss that they both felt.

"We should be getting back. People will start to wonder." Olivia made no move to get out of his arms, her words contradicting her heart.

"No." Fitz knew what was waiting him back at the party. Or more like_ who_. "Let's ditch the crowd. Let me show you the whole estate." He gave her a sweet peck on the lips to drive home the proposition.

"Okay." Olivia admitted that the last thing she wanted to do was go back to the crowded parlor after the kiss they just shared. "But let's bring the wine with us."

**PRESENT DAY**

Olivia twirled carefully and regarded critically herself in the mirror.

"I. Love. It."

Elle Reynolds smiled triumphantly and clapped his hand excitedly.

"I knew you would. It very modern-carefree-take-on-a-Disney-princess-ish. It suits you." She motioned for his assistants to come and take some measurements.

Olivia ran her fingers over the light weight fabric, pulling the fabric away from her and watching it fall back into perfect place. She was standing in a couture evening gown designed by one of her favorite, yet still relatively unknown, designer. She had received offers from everyone from Dior to Prada, but when she saw the sketch that Elle sent to her, she immediately fell in love.

She almost pinched herself to see if she was dreaming, but no. This was the dress she would wear to her first Academy Awards Ceremony. The ceremony she happened to be nominated for best actress at. The dress was layer on layer of soft, peach colored chiffon that flowed with a decent train. The fabric was dreamily swept over her chest with off the shoulder sleeves and a dipping cut in the back that revealed a large portion of her back, while still keeping it elegant. The best part, was that the dress was comfortable. She could actually breathe, while still showing her figure off.

She made eye contact with herself in the 360 degree mirror and tried to wipe the cheesy smile from her face. She felt a whole new level of beautiful.

"What is next?" She asked giving it another girlish twirl for good measure.

"Jewelry." Elle brought out a couple of black brief cases with options sent from Tiffany's & Co. They decided on an elegant but edgy ear cuff with pearls and diamonds placed wistfully on a gold band. The necklace she brought forth made her jaw drop to the floor. They decided on rings and a simple gold chain bracelet. Finally, Olivia stepped into the heels she had chosen for the evening. She stepped from the little pedestal she was on and started to walk around the fitting room. The fabric swooshed around her feet, making it look like she was floating.

"You are a genius. I can already hear the praises of the fashion police the morning after."

"The train is going to look dreamy when you walk up the steps to accept your award." Elle gushed, snapping a Polaroid picture and waving it, waiting for it to develop.

"Don't jinx anything. At the end of the day, I still can't believe I was nominated."

Elle rolled her eyes at Olivia's modesty. "Have you gotten a date yet? He is going to want to dress to you. I think a white dinner jacket would complete this. Or a simple black tux, you can never go wrong with that. It would be adorable if you could get him to accent something to this color like cufflinks or a pocket square."

Olivia let the assistants take her jewelry off and pulled the scrunchie out of her hair that held her hair in a mock updo. "No, I haven't thought that far ahead." She fibbed.

"Girl, the event is a month away! Not that any man wouldn't drop his life just to escort you to this thing." Elle helped her out of the dress and handed her a silk robe to put on for the time being.

"I know, I know. I should probably stop procrastinating that part."

She went over the options in her head. Her father was definitely out of the question. They had a strained relationship ever since she got her acceptance letter from Julliard. He couldn't stand the thought of her not going to his alma mater, Harvard, and getting a law degree. When she graduated from college, he expected her to quit her little "hobby" and go to a "real school" as if Julliard was not an honor. Olivia had given up on trying to make him proud of her, leaving only brief, polite phone calls on Christmas and Easter. She moved down her list. Most of her industry friends were already going to be there.

Now that she thought of it, she didn't really have any close friends. Ever since moving to L.A., she had tunnel-visioned through her work landing role after role and leaving little room for any personal life. This would probably be the highlight of her career and life, so she wanted to share it with someone special. _Someone special_. The words pricked her like the tip of a needle.

"_Fitz, this is a $300 bottle of wine."_

"_Yeah, I know. I wanted to share it with someone special."_

She let out a bitter laugh.

"What was that?" Elle brought her back from her mini day dream.

"Sorry, I was just talking to myself." Olivia shed her robe and started to change into the clothes she came in. They worked out details of the alterations and Olivia left. She was so giddy about finally choosing her gown, but the sinking feeling of knowing that she had do find a date set a foul taste to her mood. She pulled her car into the parking lot of a Whole Foods to do some grocery shopping.

As she shopped for fresh produce, she let her mind entertain the idea of asking Fitz to escort her. For the first time, she let herself think about what went down in Cyrus's apple orchard. As petty as it sounded, physically slapping him was an effective way to release all of the anger she had let simmer over all those years. The frightening part was once she had taken all of her hurt and rage out on him, an emotion she was not prepared for overcame her—desire. She spent so long demonizing him in her mind and making him into an unforgivable monster that she forgot about the palpable connection they shared. She forgot about the simple familiarity of his scent and the security he brought to her. It had been so long since she had felt the burning intensity that a mere look from him ignited in her core.

She felt so childish. Just being with him for fifteen minutes made her want to completely take back all of the time and energy she spent despising him. He had just that much of an impact on her. She wasn't sure if she should run back into his arms and—attempt—to pick up where things fell apart, or if she could stay strong in herself and stay away from him for her own health.

She dropped some apples into her cart and made her way to the checkout. As the cashier rang up her groceries, the magazine rack caught her attention.

PEOPLE MAGAZINE

_Our countdown to the Academy Awards and the best dressed competition!_

ENTERTAINMENT WEEKLY

_The race to the Oscars ensues! Our predictions on who will take home the little gold man!_

Each magazine had a small picture of her on the side margin. The fame was something she would never get used to. Luckily the cashier did not recognize her, and she could pay in peace. Not that her fans were not incredibly flattering, but she knew that for every genuine fan, there was a malicious one. Especially with the internet having such a prominent role in how celebrities were perceived. Wisely keeping her personal life personal and letting her work speak for her had saved her from much of the brutal media.

Olivia thanked the worker and went to load her bags into her car.

* * *

><p><strong>I hope you aren't getting whiplash from all of the flashbacks, hehe. I have to get some happy Olitz in this thing and the place they are at in the present doesn't really allow for it… {yet}<strong>

**Your reviews are golden. I love them and you for writing them. Feel free to criticize my writing (I know some of you are grammar experts and know **_**way**_** better than I do). This is still a learning process for me, and anything to improve my writing is appreciated!**

**Until next time!**


	4. Lost And Found

**Sorry about the wait, I had some major deadlines last week. Enjoy!**

Lost and Found—Lianne La Havas

Come upstairs and I'll show you where all my  
>Where my demons hide from you<br>Just look at who I have become I am so ashamed  
>You were the one that made me feel the way I do<p>

You broke me and taught me  
>to truly hate myself<br>unfold me and teach me how to be  
>like somebody else<p>

* * *

><p><strong>4 YEARS AGO<strong>

Fitz and Olivia had ditched the party to explore Cyrus's estate. They spent most of the time playfully feeding each other apples from the ripe trees in the orchard. Kissing as often as possible, and acting like a couple of love struck fools. They left without saying goodbye to anyone and went to Fitz's city apartment to watch _The Philadelphia Story_ after entering a heated debate on whether Katharine Hepburn should have ended up with James Stewart or Cary Grant.

It was now Monday, and Olivia had not seen Fitz since Friday. She showed up a couple minutes early to the initial script reading to try to catch Fitz in his office. As she neared his office door, she could hear yelling behind it. The tone in his voice frightened her. She had never heard that level of anger in his voice.

It was all perfect, but now there was someone in there hurting Fitz, and she wanted to run in there and protect him. An instinct she didn't even know she had was coming out. Crazy, considering she barely knew this man, but she could feel herself falling for him. She wanted to be there for him. Olivia strained her ears to hear what was being said behind the thin walls. There was a man in there with him with a thick Southern accent.

"Fitz, you gotta learn the art of business…Not gonna work!…Get your head out of your …"

"Hollis Doyle let me remind you that this is _MY_ film…If you want to manipulate a director…this town is full of them, but I am not… Either get on board, or GET OUT."

Olivia felt ashamed for eavesdropping, so she quickly ran around the corner. His office door opened then slammed. A tall man with blonde, slicked back hair rounded the corner. He saw Olivia, and immediately plastered a fake grin on his face.

"Why hello, Darling. You must be Olivia. I'm Hollis Doyle. I am one of the financers of this little project here."

"Nice to meet you, Mr. Doyle." She gave him her hand cautiously. She didn't like the vibe he was sending her. His accent was slick. "If you excuse me, I have to go." She quickly walked away, not wanting to spend one more second with him.

"Looking forward to working with you, sweetheart." He called over his shoulder as he continued on his way. The way he said _sweetheart_ made Olivia want to take a shower. She knocked softy on Fitz's door, hoping he was in the mood to see her.

"Come in."

Olivia entered his office and closed the door behind her. He was leaning against his desk, pouring a scotch. "Hi, Liv."

"What are you doing? It is 8:45 in the morning." Olivia walked over to him and placed a soothing hand on his shoulder, rubbing it softly.

"Rough morning." Fitz huffed.

"I don't think you should drink. We have to run through the script today." Fitz ignored her and took a sip. "Fitz," Olivia said sternly. She drew a hand to his face and pulled his face to look at her. "Please, don't."

Fitz sighed and set the drink down on the table. "Sorry."

"Do you want to talk about it?"

"No."

"Okay." Olivia left it at that. He wrapped his arms around her waist, pulling her close to him. Using his nose to softly nudge her face to his, he kissed her. Olivia could taste the faint trace of scotch, which she found to be surprisingly sexy.

"We should probably head out." Olivia pulled away, reluctantly, "But first, I have to ask you some questions about this one scene."

Fitz turned her around in his arms and rested his head on her shoulder. "Shoot."

Olivia flipped through the script to a particular scene. "Okay, I don't understand why I saw this here." She pointed to a line, "I'm trying to understand where my character is coming from."

In the middle of Fitz's explanation, there was a knock at the door. Immediately, Olivia jumped out of Fitz's arms and sat professionally in one of the chairs in front of his desk.

"Come in." One of the assistants appeared, notifying him that the rest of the crew was waiting on them in the other room. "Alright, we're coming."

/

By the end of the day, Olivia had her script marked and highlighted like a high school textbook. The cast was beginning to file out of the room, and Fitz shot Olivia a look to tell her to hang behind. Finally it was just them in the room alone.

"Olivia, I'm sorry about this morning. I shouldn't have let my morning get to me like that."

"Don't worry about it. Really."

"Let me make it up to you. What are your plans for Saturday?"

"I haven't thought that far ahead."

"Can I take you to the beach? I know of a private place that will take your breath away."

"Okay," Olivia blushed. Something about Fitz made her feel a like a schoolgirl being wooed by the football team's quarterback.

"Okay then. I can pick you up at 10am." He kissed her temple and whispered in a low voice, "Pack a swimsuit."

/

Promptly at 10:00, Fitz rang her doorbell. She answered in a periwinkle cover up and a tote carrying a towel, change of clothes, and sunscreen. She decided to wear her hair natural, knowing that she would probably go swimming.

"Wow. You look amazing."

Olivia just smiled and accepted his peck on her lips. "Let's go."

When he led her to his sporty, red, convertible coupe, Olivia burst into a fit of giggles.

"What?" Fitz grinned as he put her bag in the trunk.

"You must have a garage full of sports cars that you choose from."

"This is actually a friend's. He let me borrow it for the day."

Fitz drove along the scenic highways, avoiding the busy interstates. He drove a couple miles north of Malibu, and pulled off of the main road to this winding, sandy road. It ended abruptly at a wall of shrubbery. He parked the car and grabbed her bag and a picnic basket out of the trunk. He helped Olivia out of the car, chuckling at her quizzical expression.

"Don't worry, I know where I'm going."

"I hope so. Part of me thinks you drove me all the way out here to murder me. In ten minutes, I'm probably going to be at the bottom of the Pacific Ocean."

He pulled a large plant back and helped Olivia duck through the passageway.

"Oh, God." Olivia gasped at the view. A tiny trail led down to the beach, which was cut off by two cliffs, making it completely private. The ocean sparkled back at her.

"I told you." Fitz smirked as he took her hand, and walked down the trail with her. He laid a large blanket down on the beach and set up their picnic. When Olivia shed her cover up, Fitz couldn't help but stare like a madman. She was wearing a tiny, white, string bikini with black detailing. She looked fantastic. She started to walk towards the ocean, away from him. All Fitz could do was stare as her ass, barely covered by her bottoms, as it swayed away from him.

"Where are you going?"

"To swim."

Fitz quickly chased after her into the water. When the water hit her knees, Olivia immediately started to retreat.

"Holy _shit_! It is cold."

Fitz couldn't stop laughing at her, "Don't tell me you are afraid of a little water."

"I was on the swim team in high school, thank you very much," Olivia puffed her chest out in pride, "Region champs, and first place in girl's butterfly."

"Prove it." Fitz picked up Olivia in a fireman's hold, dragging her into the water.

"No, Fitz. I swear to God, take me back to the shore!" When he reached waist level, he attempted to throw her in, but she wrapped her arms around his neck and her legs around his torso in a death grip. A large wave came and soaked her back. "I hate you." She gasped.

"No you don't." He challenged back. "It's not that bad, watch." With that, he ducked down to where the water reached their necks. He felt her body shiver in his arms, then relax. "See? You just have to get used to it."

"I still hate you." Olivia stuck her bottom lip out at him. Fitz didn't let the opportunity go to waste, as he immediately captured her lips in his. She responded by arching her back, and deepening the kiss. He palmed her ass underwater, making her moan softly into his mouth.

"Is that how you kiss the men you hate?" Fitz broke the kiss.

Olivia rolled her eyes in good nature at his quip and swam out of his grasp. "Wanna race?"

Fitz laughed, "I'm not going to race you."

"You told me to 'prove it'. This is me proving it. Unless you are scared."

Fitz pointed to a rock about 30 yards away. "Fine. I'll race you to that rock over there."

"Deal. Say when."

"WHEN."

They took off towards the rock like little fish. Through the spray of salty water, Fitz could see her figure splashing ahead of him. No matter how hard he kicked and paddled, she still beat him. When she reached the rock, she triumphantly climbed on top of it and smirked at the winded Fitz.

"Alright, I get it. You won regions."

"Let's go lie down. We should probably put some sunscreen on."

They dried off and laid out in the sun. Fitz spread sunscreen into Olivia's back and legs, using the SPF as an excuse to worship her body with his hands. He flipped her over, rubbing the lotion into her stomach. He slowly drew his fingers down, tracing her hips and settling on her thighs. Softly massaging her inner thighs, he watched her face, her eyes closed, mouth slightly parted. She was in bliss under the pressure of his hands. The sun was beating down, but the ocean air was pleasant. She opened her legs more, urging him on.

Fitz started to kiss her collarbone, making a trail up her neck. Careful not to leave any marks, he sucked the saltiness off of her skin in his path. When he ghosted over her pulse point, he could feel her racing heart. He shifted so that he was in between her legs. Olivia reached down to untie the strings holding her bottoms together.

Fitz took his cue and cupped her sex with one hand. Olivia bucked her hips and sought his lips out with hers. Dueling his tongue with hers, Fitz started to work her drenched clit between his fingers. '_Fuck, he knows what he's doing_,' Olivia thought as she raked her fingers down his broad, muscular back. He pumped one, then two fingers into her, making her throw her head back in rapture, breathily screaming his name.

Fitz pulled her top off and threw it into the sand, admiring her breasts with his mouth. When he pulled a nipple into his mouth, she let loose with a loud, incoherent, throaty moan. Olivia surrendered control of her body to her orgasm, letting it rip through her core. She felt like she was in one of those fantasies in paradise with the man of her dreams. Like her alarm clock could go off at any second and it would all be ripped away from her.

She opened her eyes to see Fitz looking at her like no man had ever looked at her. "You are the most beautiful woman I have ever seen." Olivia slid her hand down his chiseled abs to the waist of his swim trunks. She stroked his length, loving the way his cock twitched into her hand.

"God, Livvie." Fitz grunted as she began to push his trunks down. "Shit…Wait…" Fitz stilled, "I forgot condoms."

Olivia didn't stop her hand's work on him, "It doesn't matter. I'm clean. You are too, right?"

"Yes, but," Fitz pulled out of her grasp and stilled her wrist, "I can't with you. It isn't right."

Olivia gave him a confused look.

"Livvie, I care about you. I want to do this the right way. I don't want this to be some dirty thing that you regret in the future."

Olivia nodded and pulled his swim trunks back up and tied her bottoms back up. Fitz flipped them over to where he was lying on his back and she had her head on his chest. Their legs were blissfully intertwined. She remained topless, enjoying the feel of skin on skin. Fitz softly ran his hand up and down her back.

After a couple of minutes, Olivia whispered, "What are we even doing?"

"What do you mean?" Fitz murmured.

Olivia sighed as she traced her fingers over his chest hair. "I don't know. This feels so right with you, right here on this beach. It is perfect, actually, but what about when we start shooting? Don't you think that will cause problems? I don't want any favoritism. I don't want people to whisper."

Fitz hugged her closer to him, "People will whisper no matter what. But, we can keep this secret if you want. I can also separate my work from my personal life. I'll treat you like everyone else. You can check me on that if I ever don't." Fitz pulled her chin back to where she could look him in the eyes. "If you want, we are in this together."

Olivia's eyes almost started to mist as she pecked him softly on the lips, "We are in this together."

They fell asleep in each other's arms, perfectly content.

**PRESENT DAY**

Olivia dialed his number for the fourth time. Before she had time to talk herself out of it…again… she pressed the green circle putting the call through. _Shit._ She raised the phone to her ear, trying to remember what she had rehearsed a million times before.

"Hello?" Fitz's clear voice came through the speaker. He didn't have the number in his phone, but the second her heard her voice, he knew who it was.

"Hi." Olivia took a deep breath to steady the shakiness that she hoped wasn't apparent. "Are you busy?"

"No. Not at all. What is it?" Fitz swiveled in his office chair away from Cyrus who was sitting in front of him.

"I think that we need to talk. To clear some things up."

"Yeah, I would like that."

"Could you come tonight? I have moved since… I can text you the address."

Fitz glanced at his watch, noting it was 6:08. "Of course. I'm just finishing up at the office. Have you eaten yet? I can be there with some dinner in forty-five minutes."

"No, but you don't have to—"

"Don't worry about it. I'll see you in a little bit, Liv."

"Okay, bye."

Fitz hung up and turned back around to an enraged Cyrus.

"Liv?" Fitz could see his blood pressure rising. "_Liv?!_"

"We are done here, Cyrus. I'll send that paperwork to you by the end of the week."

"Please tell me that you were not just on the phone with _Olivia Pope_, promising to bring dinner. I swear to God!"

"Cyrus. Unless you have any other business matter, we are done here."

"Are you insane?" His face started to turn the familiar red. "Need I remind you—"

"No. Let me remind _you_ that this is none of your business, and you are stepping outside of your bounds right now. I have every reason to kick you out of this office right now. You fucked me over once before, so get this straight. You have no business concerning yourself over my personal life. I know that you see little green dollar signs flowing out of this next project. This is a golden opportunity for you, and I would hate for you to fuck it up, because you couldn't mind your business. Now, if you excuse me, I think we are done here. _Leave._"

Cyrus began to say something else, but the look on Fitz's face dared him to. Wordlessly, he got up and left.

Fitz gathered his belongings and headed to Olivia's place. He picked up what he remembered to be her favorite sushi on the way. He wasn't surprised by where she lived. It was a clean neighborhood on the coast. The houses were very expensive looking, but low key enough to not be on the paparazzi's radar. He pulled into her driveway and took in her house. It couldn't have been more than ten years old, with its modern architecture and large windows. He rang the doorbell. Olivia answered in a pair of black leggings, a heather grey tank top and a crème colored cardigan.

"Hi. I went by Masa and got you the E.T. roll, and a miso soup." He entered the threshold and moved to kiss her on the cheek. Olivia smoothly dodged his advance and closed the door.

"Thanks. That is my favorite."

"I remember." Fitz walked into her kitchen to set the food down. "I always wondered where you would end up after living in that hole in a wall. I like it. This place is very…It fits you." He looked around the neutral colored furniture and the all glass wall that overlooked the Pacific Ocean. "It is classy and young."

"Thank-you." She pulled out a bottle of wine and some plates. "I can start up a fire on the patio if you don't mind the cold."

"No, that would be great." She went outside to start the fire in a fire pit, and Fitz set the food out on the plates and tucked the wine bottle under his arm. He joined her outside, taking a second to admire her unknowingly. She was beautiful in every way possible. Out of fear that she would turn around and catch him staring, he set the food and wine down on the coffee table

They sat on opposite sides of the couch facing the ocean and ate and drank their wine in almost silence. They made sparse small talk to ease the awkwardness, but both of them knew that they would have to hash it out once they finished dinner.

With a final swallow of sushi, Olivia refilled her wine glass and shifted her body from watching the sunset, which had just quietly slipped beneath the oceanic horizon, to Fitz. He was silently watching the flames of the fire dance before him.

"Fitz."

He turned to face her, propping one knee on the couch. "I'm sorry about the other day, at the charity auction. I shouldn't have…It wasn't right, and I shouldn't have done that."

Fitz wasn't sure if she was talking about when she attacked him with her fists or with her lips, but he let it fall. "Liv, can I explain my side of the story? I never wanted to hurt you. I was weak and I let some people convince me things I didn't believe in. I let their thoughts and greedy agendas become my own and I'm sorry."

Olivia saw the vulnerability in his eyes and felt her heart almost break in compassion. "Go ahead. Start from the beginning."

Fitz took a deep breath and set his glass of wine down. "When you first auditioned for me, I knew you were the one. For the part, and also for me. But Cyrus and Hollis Doyle insisted that a person like you wasn't going to sell movie tickets. They were wrong, obviously. Their racist minds couldn't grasp the fact that one of the greatest actresses of our generation was black. You scared them. I ignored them at first. I saw your potential. I fought for you. I didn't plan on falling in love with you. Despite what you probably think, it was never my intent to seduce you and play you for the part. I'm not—that is not who I am."

Fitz sipped some more of his wine, before continuing.

"Anyways, I told them all to go to hell. It worked for a while. It became a battlefield for me, though, fighting every single attack they would launch on you to me. They had no idea that we were together at first. Around the time that you started to doubt us that they finally found the holes in my defense. They found out about us.

"Instead of being there to prove to you that I was legit, I let them get inside of my head. They made me feel like my father, taking advantage of his actresses. It was wrong, but I believed them. They told me that the best thing I could do for you was fire you and move on. All of those lies about your character and work ethic were Hollis Doyle. I never said any of it. By the time that I heard about them, it was too late. You were gone, and I couldn't do anything about it. It almost ruined me."

"It almost ruined you?" Olivia's voice was barely above a whisper, but weighed down with emotion. "It almost ruined _me_. Do you know how hard it is to get a job in a town where you are automatically written off as the 'bitch' who 'was impossible to work with'?"

Her words caused him to flinch. The article posted on a well-read blog where some false quotes of Fitz's were published stayed with both of them.

"I'm so sorry."

"You ruined me, Fitz. I had to go back to New York for a couple of months before I could even show my face here. You were the only friend I had, the only person I _trusted_. I believed you when you told me you loved me, but you were lying—"

"I meant every single word. Every. Single. Word."

Olivia could not stop the sobs that started to rip through her chest. "I hated you for so long. I shut you and everyone else out. You broke me." They sat there in silence as Olivia got her emotions under control. Finally, her breathing steadied.

"Can I have one minute? Just one minute where we forget all of the bullshit that happened and it is just Fitz and Livvie." Fitz held his arms out to her. She looked at him like he was insane for a moment. Hesitation lingered thickly in the air. Finally, she slid across the couch and rested her head on his chest. Her arm snaked around his torso, hugging him tighter, and his arms rested against her back, faintly tracing shapes against her cardigan.

The sky was now a deep blue and the fire flickered uneven shadows onto their skin. Fitz softly kissed the top of her head, letting her scent fill his senses. They stayed in each other's arms for way longer than one minute. Neither one wanted to break it.

Finally, Olivia spoke, "I am tired of hating you."

"We can't keep going on like this." He mumbled into her hair.

"Can we go back?"

Fitz looked down at Olivia who was staring up at him with big brown eyes. "Back to what?"

Olivia's breath hitched as she brought her fingers up to his mouth. She lightly traced over his lips and then brushed her palm across is cheek. She pulled his chin towards her with her thumb. Their lips were centimeters apart, they were breathing each other's air.

"This." She closed her lips on his, sealing it with the most gracious gift Fitz could ever receive: forgiveness.

They continued to kiss, taking it slow for safety's sake. Neither one wanted to push too hard or rush anything, but they also didn't trust themselves with each other. Once the sparks started to fly, there was no telling where they would end up. Fitz pulled Olivia to where she was lying across his lap.

Eventually, the fire died down to glowing embers, and Olivia started to shiver. "Let's go inside." Fitz grabbed their dinner plates and followed Olivia inside. He did the dishes and kissed her goodnight.

"Thank you. For this second chance."

All Olivia could do was nod her head and reach up for a final kiss. She watched him leave and pull his car out of her driveway. When his headlights disappeared down the road, she went upstairs to her bedroom and stripped down and fell into the deepest sleep she had experienced in years.

* * *

><p><strong>So…What do you think? We now know what split them apart to begin with. Do you think it is smart for Fitz to be working with Cyrus again? Please review! I will try to get the next chapter out as soon as possible.<strong>


	5. Own It

**I hope you all had a happy Thanksgiving! Sorry for the time lapse. The world has been acting crazy lately, and I haven't been in the mood to write. I really had to dig my heels in for this chapter.**

**I usually would reply on private, but for the guest user **_**Michelle**_**, the answer to your question is: No, I haven't introduced that element into this story. **

**Also, my conscience is eating me alive over abandoning **_**Hold Onto Me**_** (like every time I hear a song titled the same on my iPod, I start feeling guilty), so I am thinking about closing that one out in a couple chapters if anyone is interested. **

**Nonetheless, here is no. 5!**

Drake—Own It

Next time we fuck, I don't want to fuck, I want to make love  
>Next time we talk, I don't want to just talk, I want to trust<br>Next time I stand tall I want to be standing for you  
>And next time I spend I want it all to be for you<br>Peaking, I'm peaking, wake up with me this weekend, weekend  
>Guess who's it is? Guess who's it is? Guess who's it is?<br>It's yours

* * *

><p><strong>PRESENT DAY<strong>

"Well, thank you for stopping by and best of luck!"

"Thank you for having me. I always have so much fun on your show."

"See Olivia Pope in _Underground Kings_ in theaters now. We'll be back after the break!"

A production assistant waved his finger in a circular motion, signaling that they were on commercial break. She gave the talk show host a friendly hug before another assistant ushered her off of the set. She high fived some of the audience members lucky enough to sit on the front row and made her way to her dressing room.

Olivia immediately kicked her 4" heels off of her feet the second she was safely in her dressing room. She was never fond of heels, but her 5'4" height made them a requirement. She plopped down in the chair and rolled her ankles between her hands for momentary relief. She was on such a high intensity press circuit for Oscar season that she felt like a pinball being shot from city to city. That morning, she did two shows in New York City and then flew to Los Angeles to do a radio show and a night show. She really loved doing press and talk shows, but after the day she had just had, tired was an understatement. Her feet hurt and her eyes were irritated from all of the makeup and bright lights.

She reached into her purse for her pair of back-up ballet flats, her fingertips grazing a foreign texture. _What the…_ Olivia pulled a single red rose from her bag. As if she didn't know who it was from, she read the note tied around it in a white ribbon.

_You must be exhausted. I have a home cooked meal, a really comfy couch, and a big bottle of wine. ~Fitz_

Olivia read the words again, silently to herself and ran her fingers over his familiar handwriting. She felt the biggest smile spread across her face. No matter how hard she tried to keep her feet on the ground and rational thoughts in her head, she couldn't stop the butterflies raging beneath her ribcage from Fitz. They had not spent time with each other since they agreed to give it another chance due to Olivia's hectic schedule, but whenever Olivia allowed her mind to wander to what it could possibly mean, she got lost in the world of fantasy.

There was something different about Fitz now. It was hard to describe or even to put her finger on. Almost like his eyes were clearer and he was more secure in who he was. She could tell the day at Cyrus's estate that he spent every day apart from her beating himself up over how they ended. Rightly so, might she add, but she could see the toll it took on him. She was far from blindly running back into his arms, but she was taking it one step at a time.

She dug her ballet flats out, and quickly gathered her stuff to leave.

**4 YEARS AGO**

Olivia could feel herself being lifted into the air.

As she slowly fought to regain consciousness, she could feel the arms supporting her gently shift her weight as they began to climb a staircase.

"Fitz?" Olivia's eyes finally focused as she saw him smiling down at her. "What are you…"

"Shhh, Livvie. We fell asleep on the couch. It's too late for you to drive home, so you are sleeping in my bed tonight."

What started out as a "_study session_" (as Olivia coined it in an attempt to make Fitz focus) for her lines in the film turned into a competitive battle of throwing popcorn into each other's mouths which turned into snuggling comfortably to the evening news which turned into Olivia falling asleep on Fitz's chest.

"I can walk. You don't have to carry me." Olivia wriggled in her sleepy haze, half-heartedly protesting. His arms only tightened around her.

"Relax. We are here." He pushed open his bedroom door and set her down on the edge of his king sized bed. He went into his closet and grabbed a t-shirt. "Here. I'll be downstairs if you need me." He leaned in to kiss her gently on the lips. "Goodnight."

"Wait. Where are you going to sleep?"

"On the couch. I'll be—"

"No. Sleep here with me."

Olivia slid across to the other side of the bed and pulled her shirt over her head, revealing a white lacey bra. She unclasped her bra and unbuttoned her jeans, squirming out of them until she was just sitting in her underwear. She could see how much it was torturing him as she slowly pulled his t-shirt over her head. Her erect nipples were visible beneath the thin fabric.

"Aren't you going to put on your pajamas or…" Olivia was wide awake now, and she could see that he was too. She was enjoying this sexual empowerment she felt with him. They were equal players in this exciting game.

Fitz smirked as he disappeared into his closet and reemerged shirtless with a pair of plaid navy blue pajama pants hanging dangerously low on his hips. He turned the lights out so that his bedside lamp dimly illuminated the room. With one arm he scooped Olivia up, and the other arm pulled the covers back.

Olivia climbed onto Fitz's lap, straddling him. She deliberately slid her lacey panty-clad core against his erection as she began to kiss his jaw line, making a path for his lips. When she bit down on his bottom lip, Fitz grabbed her by her ass cheeks and pulled her down hard against his erection.

"Do you feel me, babe? It's all for you." He broke their passionate kiss to launch an assault on her neck and collarbone.

"I…fuck…I feel you." Olivia gasped. The next thing she knew, his t-shirt was being lifted over her head and his tongue was licking around her nipples. "Fiiiittzzz" she breathed as she arched her back and threw her head back.

Fitz flipped them over to where he was on the top. He slid her soaked panties down her legs, kissing a trail down her thigh. After kicking his own pajama pants off, they were both naked and panting wildly.

"What?" Olivia asked, searching his eyes as he paused.

"I can't believe that I'm here with you. I can't believe you are real. This seems a little too surreal."

Olivia could feel her eyes misting as she leaned up to kiss him and pull him back to her. This was so much more than two sweat bodies rolling around on a mattress for physical pleasure. They shared a connection that was more powerful than either one could fathom.

As their kiss deepened with tongue, she slid her hand down to his stiff member. Fitz felt like he could explode any second from her small hand delicately stroking up and down his cock.

He pulled a condom out of his bedside table and quickly applied it. He lined himself up with her pussy and slowly entered.

Their eyes never left each other's as they joined bodies in the most intimate ways. Fitz wished he could bottle this moment up forever. After she became accustomed to his size in her, he began to pump in and out of her.

"God, Livvie. You feel amazing." Fitz whispered as he began to finger her clit to the rhythm of his hips. He could feel their bodies tensing up for ecstasy as he hooked her leg over his shoulder and hit a new depth over and over. She came, screaming his name, clenching around his dick. Feeling her unravel beneath him sent Fitz over the edge with a grunt as he collapsed, careful to keep his weight off of her tiny frame.

"Wow." Olivia whispered.

"Yeah." Was all Fitz could get out as he tried to gather coherent thoughts.

Fitz climbed out of the bed to discard the used condom and clean up. When he returned to the bedroom he found Olivia fast asleep in his bed with the covers pulled up to her chin. He slipped back to her side and pulled her close to him. He never wanted to fall asleep without her head resting on his chest ever again.

/

Fitz woke up in heaven with the morning sun streaming in the windows of his bedroom and the most beautiful woman wrapped around his torso. She must have gotten cold during the night, because she was almost completely underneath his thick down comforter and curled against him with her head resting in the middle of his chest. They had created a tight cocoon of body heat, and he couldn't complain. All he could see was a patch of bed-head hair sticking out from the cover, but he could feel every inch of her body against his.

He glanced at the clock. _8:19_. He didn't want to move an inch, so he willed himself to go back to sleep and enjoy this small slice of perfection.

/

Mellie tightened her ponytail before stepping out of her car. She had finally scheduled a free day with Fitz play tennis. It was something they did whenever their schedules allowed, and an effective way to blow off steam with their childishly competitive matches. She rang the buzzer, but when nobody answered, she used the spare key he kept underneath a potted plant.

"Fitz?" She called out into the house. She checked the downstairs, and then walked upstairs. "Fitz, are you ready to get your ass handed to you?"

She entered his bedroom to find him fast asleep with his mouth hanging open, and his hair comically sticking up. "Fitz. Wake up, it is 9:30!"

He jerked forward and a small head of black hair popped out from beneath the sheets.

"Oh, shit!" Fitz blurted out. Olivia quickly retreated beneath the covers to hide.

"Oh my God, Fitz. Sorry." Mellie couldn't stop the fit of giggles erupting from her stomach as she backed out of the bedroom and shut the door. "I'll be downstairs once you two are decent."

Olivia kept her face buried beneath the covers in shame.

"Was that who I thought it was?" Olivia muttered, mortified, into his ribcage.

"Mellie Stonewood is a really close friend of mine. Don't worry. She won't say anything. She's only going to find every way to lord this over me and embarrass me at every opportunity. I'm sorry, totally forgot that we had plans to play tennis this morning."

Olivia slowly peeked out from the covers trying not to laugh. "I used to love her movies when I was little. I never thought I would ever meet her. I _certainly_ never imagined I would be naked, entangled with a naked man when it happened."

Fitz laughed at how bizarre this must be for her.

"We should probably get dressed." Olivia tried to leave the warm bed.

"Not before I do this." Fitz pulled her up to where their faces were aligned and kissed her softly on the lips. "Good morning, beautiful."

"Good morning." She smiled as she pecked his lips one more time then rolled out of the bed. "Where did you put my underwear last night?"

Fitz flashed a devilish grin, "They are mine now. I guess you'll just have to go commando."

"Fitz, I'm wearing jeans. It doesn't work like that." Olivia rolled his eyes playfully as she put her bra on, then his t shirt from the previous night and pulled her hair back into a sloppy bun.

"Fine." He pulled her underwear out of the pocket of his pajamas and tossed them to her. "You win this time."

They dressed then went downstairs to find Mellie making coffee.

"Hi, I'm Olivia." She extended her hand.

"I'm Mell—"

"Oh, I know who you are." Olivia gushed, "_Through With Luck_ was the first rated-R movie I ever snuck in to see. I'm a big fan."

"Fitz, she's a keeper." Mellie joked. "I'm so sorry about earlier, I didn't mean to interrupt anything. I didn't realize Fitz had a guest or even a _girlfriend_." She emphasized the last word like a schoolboy terrified of cooties, causing Fitz to blush.

"Nah, it's my fault. I forgot that I had to beat you in tennis today."

They continued their playful conversation over their cup of coffee. Olivia liked Mellie and her ability to cut Fitz down in a millisecond. When they finished, Fitz walked Olivia out to her car. Mellie watched from the window as they lingered by her car door and then kissed goodbye. There was something really different about the way he interacted with her. Out of all of the girlfriends he had suffered through, she was different. There was no polite pretense between them, as if they had been married for 50 years.

Olivia drove off and Fitz returned to the kitchen.

"I like her. She's cute." Mellie commented as Fitz rinsed their coffee mugs out. "You have my stamp of approval."

"Thanks. Keep your lips tight about this though. It's kind of a delicate situation."

"Don't be vague." Mellie prodded.

"She's that actress I was telling you about. The one who is playing lead in my new project."

"Fitzgerald Thomas Grant…"

"It isn't like that. It is different and I'm sure of it."

"You have to be careful, Fitz. You can't fuck this up."

"I know."

**PRESENT DAY**

Fitz answered the door looking like a model out of a Ralph Lauren ad when he answered the door in khakis and an olive green turtleneck.

"You came." He beamed like a boy who won the large teddy bear at the fair

"I came." Olivia affirmed as she entered his threshold out of the winter air. "How did you get that rose in my purse?"

"I had a meeting at ABC and I saw you were going to be on tonight." He bent down to kiss her on the cheek, which to his surprise, she let him.

"You made an irresistible pitch. Where is this 'comfy couch'?" Olivia joked as she walked into his kitchen. "You weren't kidding about the home-cooked meal. It smells amazing."

Fitz checked the oven and pulled out two wine glasses. "Pick out the wine, go sit, and enjoy. Dinner will be ready in about five minutes. Rotisserie chicken, asparagus, and mashed potatoes. Pick out the wine, go sit, and enjoy a glass."

Olivia poured them both a glass of wine and sat on a kitchen stool to watch him finish.

"Do you want to tell me about your day? I saw a couple minutes of you on _The Today Show _this morning." Fitz asked.

"Yeah, that was neat. I don't miss how freezing it is up there though. I almost forgot to walk on ice." She told him about all of the details of her hectic day over dinner. Once they had finished, they moved to the couch and started on their second glass of wine. Olivia hooked Fitz's iPod up to the speakers and played music softly. Olivia was more guarded around him now. She still leaned against his chest on the couch, but their cuddling was not as intimate as it used to. Fitz knew she just needed time to get used to him again, so he didn't push anything.

Fitz heavily debated when to tell her about Cyrus. He didn't want to fuck anything up with her just recently accepting him back. He wouldn't go through with the deal unless she gave him her blessing. She was more important than any career move. He forgot how well she could read him.

"A penny for your thoughts."

"Huh?"

"What's on your mind?"

"Nothing."

"It is something, you suck at lying. I can hear you thinking."

Fitz knew he couldn't wriggle out of it right now. "Olivia, please don't get mad at what I'm about to tell you. Hear me out, then judge."

Olivia sat up so that she was facing him and shot him a confused look. "Go ahead."

"I just finished a script for a new film. I honestly think that it will be _the_ film of my career. I have never felt this passionate about an idea before. The problem is that no studio wants to sponsor it. They say it is too risky. That the concept will fly over the people's heads. There is only one man who is willing to back me on this. Only one man who is _financially secure_ enough to not only fund this, but give me full reign on it."

Fitz paused, not wanting to finish it.

"Who is it?" Olivia asked in an even tone. She set her hand on his knee to encourage him.

"Cyrus Beene."

Olivia drew her hand back like his knee was a hit stove and gave him the most scathing look. She was off the couch, walking away.

"Liv, wait."

"No." Her voice shook with anger.

"Just listen. If you don't—"

"Have you lost your mind? How fucked up in the head do you have to be to think that this is okay? After everything he put you—no, _us_—through and you are stupid enough to think—what exactly? That Cyrus would suddenly see the light and not screw you over if it meant his financial gain?"

Tears began to flow freely down her cheeks despite how hard she tried to stop them.

Fitz stood up and took steps toward her with his arms out "Livvie, don't cry. Hear me out."

She only coiled back "Don't come any closer to me."

"Then forget about it." Fitz threw his hands up in surrender, "The deal is off with Cyrus. You mean more to me than a stupid movie."

Olivia looked at him like he was a cross between an alien and a convicted felon, then went to grab her keys off of the counter.

"We can talk about it. You don't have to leave." Fitz begged as he watched her speed walk towards the door.

"I need space right now. You owe me that much." She disappeared out into the night. Ten seconds later he could hear her car driving off.

* * *

><p><strong>Don't forget to share your thoughts with me below. I didn't mean to leave this in such a rocky place, but I have big ideas for what is to come. I'll try to update soon!<strong>


	6. Stay

**Your reviews were so kind on the last chapter, so it really motivated me on this one. Some of y'all want me to finish up **_**Hold Onto Me**_**, so expect an update there soon. **

**I'm also really happy that some of you guys like my direction with Olivia and Mellie. Personally, I love Mellie on TV when she isn't ruining Olitz vibes, and she can be hella useful in the future. {#shinetheory}. **

**If you can tell by the song choice, this chapter will be a tad sad. I hope you enjoy!**

Stay—Mayday Parade

I need some time just deliver the things that I need for now  
>Everything that I feels like a warm deep calm casting over me<br>And it's taking me to somewhere new  
>If you believe that everything's alright<br>You won't be all alone tonight  
>And I'd be blessed by the light of your company,<br>Slowly lifting me to somewhere new  
>Oh can you tell, I haven't slept very well<br>Since the last time that we spoke, you said  
>"Please understand if I see you again don't even say hello."<p>

* * *

><p><strong>PRESENT DAY<strong>

Now was not the time for her usual nightly habits as Olivia shed her clothes, piece by piece, and climbed into her bed naked. Olivia only ever slept naked with Fitz, but now clothes seemed like gross suffocation. She slipped in between her cold sheets and pulled them up to her ears. Her body felt like it had been hit by an eighteen wheeler, but her mind wouldn't allow it the pleasure of sleep.

Like a corny, made-for-television movie, her mind relived every detail of her time with Fitz and its aftermath. From the first casting call to the precious moments spent in his arms to the fall out to the words he uttered a mere thirty minutes ago.

_You mean more to me than a stupid movie_

_You mean more to me than a stupid movie_

_You mean more to me than a stupid movie_

**FOUR YEARS AGO**

"How do I look?" Olivia frantically smoothed the wrinkles out of her skirt.

"Do you really want me to answer that?" Fitz growled into her ear using his sexiest, panty-dropping voice and slipping his hands back around to her ass.

"I'm serious Fitz." She put her hands in between them for space, but made no move to wiggle out of his grasp "I can't go out there looking like I just…"

"Had the most earthshattering sex in a costume closet?"

"Yeah, that." Olivia giggled.

"You look beautiful. Nobody will notice." He pulled her closer and smoothed out an unruly strand of hair.

"Thank you." Olivia smiled as she went on her tip toes to kiss him. "You go first. I'll wait a couple minutes."

Fitz left and she counted to fifty before exiting. There were no words to describe how amazing the past three weeks had been. They were insatiable for each other, taking every opportunity offered (which led to the wardrobe closet during their lunch break.) Fitz was a new animal that she couldn't get enough of. She never thought that she could have so many orgasms in a day.

She couldn't wait until production was over and press began for the film. That was when they agreed to go public with their relationship. Wait until the final product was sent off to theaters, then they would finally be able to hold each other's hand in public.

The actress playing her character fifty years older had some scheduling conflicts, so they were shooting her scenes first. Olivia's work would start in a week. She still hung around the set during the day to get a feel of the pace, and to watch Fitz work. He was magnificent at directing. He knew the shots to call and when to call them. The light he got in his eyes whenever he was in the zone was sexy on so many levels.

The whole process was scary and overwhelming for Olivia, but Fitz was her support through it all. They had reviewed her lines over and over in the privacy of his bed. He never counted on her being such a research nut and so comprehensive in building her character. Olivia had a raw talent that he had never seen before. Fitz saw it to be his job to protect her on set and make sure she was comfortable enough to perform at her best. She trusted him more than anything.

Olivia thought about that morning in the shower. He was lathering her shoulders with body wash. He softly spoke "I love you." It was so simple and pure with no pretense or expectation. He continued to tenderly wash her as if nothing happened. He didn't want to make a big deal or push any feelings of obligation on her. When she said it back, he kissed the tip of her nose and that was that.

Olivia wouldn't allow herself to over analyze this like she had with her other relationships. She was diving head first and it felt good. It would be too easy to panic over how fast things were moving between them, but she couldn't. It felt too _good_ to question.

/

**6 DAYS LATER (BUT STILL 4 YEARS AGO)**

_Olivia: What time are you getting to set? I'm due to hair and makeup at 7:30_

_Olivia: I want to see you before we start._

_Olivia: Are you in your office? I'm swinging by_

Olivia refrained from sending another text. Something was wrong. She could feel it in her gut. She glanced at her watch. _6:49._ He should be in his office. His door was closed. She knocked politely on his door.

"Fitz?"

"We'll be done in a minute, darling," the thick Southern accent that could only belong to Hollis Doyle called out. Olivia walked to the other side of the hallway and leaned against it to wait. Several minutes later, Cyrus emerged, shutting the door behind him.

"Good morning, Cyrus."

"Good morning, Olivia. Can I talk to you in my office?"

"Of course, can I just see Fitz first, I need to—"

"He is in the middle of something, and this is actually very important." Cyrus began walking towards his office, giving Olivia no choice but to follow. She had yet to warm up to him, but Cyrus didn't seem like the type who had ever had the intention of being friendly.

"Take a seat." Cyrus commanded once they were in his office. He shut the door and went to sit down behind his desk. "I'm going to skip all of these pleasantries, and be frank with you. I have a busy day of work ahead of me and the sooner we get this over with, the better."

"Get what over with?" Olivia shifted uncomfortably in her seat.

"This is your first job out of college, right?"

"Yes, I just graduated in May."

"Ah, well I'm sorry to tell you this, but we have decided to go with a different choice for the character Caroline. We needed someone with more, uh, money attached to her name. You will need to turn your access pass into the security guard on your way out."

"Are you firing me?" Olivia asked incredulously.

"Yes. If you are still really interested in this project, you are free to apply to volunteer as an extra. You can file an application with Megan, the casting director."

"Does Fitz know?"

"Who do you think sent me to do this?"

Olivia swallowed uncomfortably, trying to digest the gravity of the situation.

"Oh, you want to pretend that you are special? That you aren't the first actress to—excuse my language—fuck around in the closet with Fitzgerald Grant the Third? The son of the infamous director who had a problem with keeping his pants zipped? Apple. Tree. It was practically his idea. It isn't convenient to change your lead actress just as shooting starts, but it is _his_ script at the end of the day. _His_ vision."

"I don't believe you. I want to hear it from him." Olivia kept her voice professional despite her world crashing down around her. She began to rise, but Cyrus put his hands out to stop her.

"He won't see you. Why do you think he asked me to break it to you?"

Olivia knew that if she were to try to speak, she would break down, so she sucked her emotions in and left his office. Once she disappeared from Cyrus's doorframe, she half ran to Fitz's office. With each step, she prayed that this was a nasty nightmare that her mind as playing on her, and any second she would wake up and realize that she was late for work.

After no response from her urgent knocks, she tried the door of Fitz's office. It was locked. She didn't know that he was on the other side of the door, four glasses of scotch deep, cradling his head in his hands. He knew it was her knocking. He could only imagine how she was feeling as her world was being set on fire all at once. He was her safety net, but he was burned to cinders, and now she was falling with no one to catch her.

"Fitz, please." He heard her plead, barely above a whisper, as if she could sense him on the other side of the door. Finally after a heartbreaking silence, he heard her walk away. He prayed that she would overcome this. He prayed that she would pick herself up out of this colossal rut he had put her in, and go on to do great things with her career. He prayed most of all, that she didn't really love him. That those words spoken in the shower the other day weren't true. That she was only saying that to be polite, and tomorrow morning she would move on to someone deserving of her.

The scotch clouded his thoughts, making him comfortably numb.

He reached for the case of scotch on the ground, pouring himself another glass. The face of his father kept popping up in his mind. That was a mine field just waiting to blow up. Big Gerry was a manipulative bastard on so many levels. Fitz could recall sitting outside of his dad's study at eight years old hearing whatever actress-of-the-month calling out in passion. After the age of fourteen, Fitz stopped counting on his father to stay until the fourth quarter of his football games unless they were winning by halftime. "Never be the underdog. Being the underdog is a show weakness. If you are weak at halftime, I'm not interested." He would say on his self-indulging monologues that he would ramble on about. Fitz found ways to deal with it, because he learned that life could be miserable with Big Gerry as an enemy.

Yet, as he sat in on the floor draining scotch into his mouth, the image of his father kept haunting his consciousness.

/

Olivia found herself in a foreign place. Never had she ever felt this pain in her veins that was more than physical. Her body ached with exhaustion. She couldn't even focus her eyes for more than three seconds without getting a headache. The scariest part of it all was that there were no tears. She wasn't sure if she could even produce tears, but she was too scared to try. Crying would make this more real than it was. She was past wishing it was a dream, but she appreciated this merciful middle ground where she knew the reality but could only stare blankly at the seam where the cloth met the plastic of the seat in front of her. It hurt too much to look outside.

To see the City of Angels slip beneath the smog would truly break her. It would be a painful reminder that she was played. She was so convinced that she had finally achieved all of her dreams with hard work, but as it turns out, she was nothing more than a fine piece of ass.

Olivia shut the airplane window cover and leaned her head against the uncomfortable cabin wall. She was in hell. With her eyes open, she saw the physical representation of the words she read two days ago on a well-read industry blog. The words that convinced herself her career was over, and made her pack her belongings in a storage unit and buy the first ticket out. When she closed her eyes, she saw his face shrouded in the shower steam, whispering the meaningless "I love you," which was even more painful.

As the plane hummed as it rolled down the runway, Olivia willed any kind of numbness to take over as she stared blankly at the wall in front of her for the eight hour flight to New York City.

**PRESENT DAY**

The morning sun began to warm up her bedroom. Olivia did not sleep the entire night. She just kept playing everything over in her mind analyzing and picking apart every second of it. Olivia reached for her house phone and dialed a number she could never forget. That was the frustrating thing about heartbreak to her. No matter how hard she tried, she could never forget certain things about him—his address, his brand of cologne, his cell phone number.

"Liv?" his voice sounded exhausted but frantic, like he had spent the entire night pacing and worrying.

"Come over. I want to talk to you in person."

"Of course. I'll be there in fifteen minutes."

"Ok. The backdoor is unlocked. I'll be upstairs in my room."

Exactly fifteen minutes later, Olivia heard his car pull into her driveway. She heard him enter and find his way up to her bedroom.

"Livvie?"

"I'm right here." Olivia pulled the sheets back to let him into the bed with her. "Could you get naked? I want flesh on flesh."

Fitz removed his clothes and climbed into the empty spot next to her. They settled so that their faces were aligned and their legs were entangled.

"You can do the movie with Cyrus." Olivia began. She brought a hand to his face to trace the outline of his jawline. "But you have to promise me that you will tell me everything. I don't want to be in the dark about anything. I want transparency. I also want you to succeed. I want the best for you, because I know that you have the talent and the creativity. Cyrus is a slippery dog who can be malicious, but he also runs this town. There will always be people like him, so we need to learn how to handle them. You will do this movie with him, and you will be so successful at it that you will have a new market power where you don't kiss ass to make your projects work. If you promise me transparency, then I will be by your side the entire time."

"I promise. I will do anything for you. We are in this together."

"We are in this together." Olivia whispered under her breath. "This is not going to be easy for me. You hurt me before, and I have forgiven you, but that doesn't erase how it fucked me up. I still get anxiety and nightmares. I'm working on it though. I know that this is worth it because…"

Fitz ran his hand tenderly from the rise of her hip to her shoulder blade and then back down

"…Because, I still love you."

"I love you too, Olivia."

* * *

><p><strong>That's all for the flashbacks now that everything is out and dealt with. Let me know what you think now that Olitz is on the same page and ready to rule the world!<strong>


	7. Make Me Proud

**I hope you all had a great Christmas. Here is to a fabulous 2015!**

Make Me Proud—Drake (ft. Nicki Minaj)

I know things get hard  
>but girl you got it, girl you got, it there you go<br>Can't you tell by how they looking at you everywhere you go  
>Wondering what's on your mind<br>It must be hard to be that fine  
>When all these motherfuckers wanna waste your time<br>It's just amazing, girl, and all I can say is  
>I'm so, I'm so, I'm so, I'm so, I'm so proud of you<br>Everything's adding up you been to hell and back,  
>that's why you bad as fuck<p>

* * *

><p><strong>Fitz: <strong>Pllleeaassseeeee

**Olivia: **Nope ;)

**Fitz: **You are killing me

**Olivia:** Patience. You will see me later tonight

**Fitz: **Fine… I'll be the idiot gaping on the red carpet at how breathtaking you look.

Olivia smiled at the sincerity compliment. She entertained the idea of ordering her styling team to give her a moment alone and hiking her robe to snap an artistically cheeky picture of the edge of her lingerie that matched her gown. Was he in public? How red would his ears turn?

**Olivia: **I guess I can give you a sneak peak ;)

Olivia snapped a photo of her freshly pedicured black toes and pressed send.

**Fitz:** Oh, come on!

**Olivia:** What? They match my dress

**Fitz: **You are such a tease

Her makeup artist cleared her throat to get Olivia's attention. It was time to start on her eye shadow.

**Olivia: **I have to go! I'll catch you later

Olivia obeyed the makeup artist and shut her eyelids. In about thirty minutes, Abbey Whelan, her friendly date, would pick her up. In an hour, she would arrive at the SAG Awards. Thirty minutes after her obligatory red carpet interviews and photography, the show would start.

Olivia pretended that she never read the articles predicting and speculating. It seemed like the humble thing to say when interviewers asked her about her expectations. In reality, she couldn't keep her eyes off of the blogs. Almost every one named her the likely winner of the Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Leading Role for Film. The past year had felt like a whirlwind. Like all of the stars were aligning and pouring their fortune onto her. The beautiful dresses and fame was the fantasy factor, making none of it seem real.

As the makeup artist brushed different shades of grey across her eyes to achieve a sexy, smoky eye look, Olivia thought about Fitz. She wanted him to be her date so bad it hurt. She wanted to hold his hand publicly in front of the hundreds of flashing bulbs. She wanted to sit by him during the production, laughing at the corny jokes of the host. She wanted him to be the first person she hugged when they announced her name—if they announced her name. But they had agreed to keep it secret until after the awards season when the spotlight was not on her as much. She hadn't asked him to be her date yet. She was waiting for the right time.

Plus, Fitz had committed to being Mellie's date weeks ago. Mellie was presenting an award, and was high up in the ranks of the Screen Actors' Guild.

"Look up at the ceiling."

Olivia obeyed, letting the artist dust beneath her eyes. After her makeup was done, it was time to fit into the dress. The Prada gown made a bolder statement than what she was used to. It was a silky black and it looked like it had been lingerie in a former life with layers of fabric added on to make it into an evening gown. Olivia was slightly nervous about the slit that ran dangerously high on her thigh. Her stylist showed her how to pose on the red carpet without having a wardrobe malfunction.

They put the final touches of jewelry on her. Olivia slipped her dangerously high **Loubitons** on and assessed herself in the full length mirror. She felt beautiful, but the one thing she was most excited about was Fitz seeing her. She wanted his jaw to drop. She wanted his pride to soar in knowing that she was secretly all his.

Her doorbell rang and she let Abbey in.

"Holy shit, Liv." Abbey was wearing a color blocked dress with cutouts along the side, accentuating her model like physique. "Why do you always show me up at shit like this? You look fucking great."

"Um. You kind of look hot yourself." Olivia returned the intended compliment.

"Seriously. They are going to give you the damn award just so they can watch you walk up the stairs."

"Whatever. Let's get out of here."

Their driver drove them to the venue. Once on the red carpet, Olivia and Abbey separated to do their individual press with the agreement to meet back at their seats. After graciously spending time signing autographs and posing for selfies with lucky fans, Olivia was propelled from interviewer to interviewer across the hectic red carpet. She kept her eyes to the crowd, looking for the only person who mattered.

"So…" Guiliana Rancic paused, deep in the air of her television persona, "I have to ask for the curious viewers at home: is there a special someone in your life that you will be celebrating with tonight?"

Olivia knew this question was bound to pop up sometime in the evening. She found these questions tasteless, and distracting from the work of actors, but she knew she had to play nice by the rules of Hollywood.

"I'm sorry, but I like to keep my personal life private." She replied coyly to the E! News anchor.

"Alright, well, the best of luck to you tonight. You look gorgeous. "

"Thank you."

Olivia stepped down from the platform to where her publicist waited. Her publicist was short with a wild mane of curly brown hair. She was intense and talked at a rapid fire pace. She was also the best in the business, and Olivia was grateful to have her.

"Great. Now, we have about fifteen minutes until the lights flicker. You can mingle out here, sign more autographs, or go inside. I have to go, but call me tomorrow, OK?"

"Of course." She hugged her and watched her disappear into the crowd. She scanned the crowd once more, smiling and politely greeting anyone who made eye contact with her. She didn't see him or Mellie. As she turned to head towards the entrance, a hand brushed a trail from her elbow down to her wrist.

"Olivia Pope." His voice was not void of sexual suggestion, but thick with pretend politeness. She turned around to see the man of her dreams in a tuxedo looking at her with the clearest blue eyes.

"Fitz Grant." She hugged him, aware of the insistent presence of the paparazzi.

"You look amazing." He growled into her ear as he let his hand shamelessly slip down her back.

"Thank you." Olivia stepped out of his grasp, not wanting the cameras to capture her blush and his hand resting on her ass a little too comfortably.

As if on cue, Mellie waltzed over. "Olivia! You look so amazing."

They embraced like old friends. "So do you! How have you been? It has been _forever_." It truly had. The last time she saw her was four years ago. She assumed Mellie knew all of the details of her and Fitz's fall out and reconciliation.

"It really has. And look at how much things have changed! You are so successful. I predicted it from the beginning." Mellie elbowed Fitz in a mock 'I told you so' manner.

"Oh, well thank you."

"We should do lunch sometime. I would love to catch up."

"Yes, I would love that! Next week?"

"Next week it is. Just text me when. Fitz can give you my number."

The lights flickered letting them know to go inside and take their seats.

"I will. It was nice seeing you."

Olivia found Abbey and sat down at their table. The show started. The host was witty, but a little too harsh for her taste. He roasted almost every nominee. Luckily, he hit the concept of her film with a scathing joke, and left her personally untouched. One of the plus sides of being a newcomer combined with staying relatively private.

She watched Mellie present the award for a television category**. **She wanted to peep back at Fitz, but he was awkwardly seated to where she would have to turn completely around. The commercial break began. Olivia got up to use the bathroom. She checked her phone. No messages. Then she saw Fitz deep in conversation with Cyrus. His arms were crossed and his eyebrows were raised in surprise. Not wanting to interrupt that, Olivia mingled with some other celebrities, snapping selfies until the break was over.

Next was her category. Julia Roberts walked onto the stage with a gold envelope in her hand.

"The nominees for Outstanding Performance by a Female Actress in a Leading Role for Film are: Cate Blanchett in _Things Behind The Sun, _Jessica Chastain in _Skywalker_, Judi Dench in _Cadie_, Whoopi Goldberg in _Silver Snow, _and Olivia Pope in _Underground Kings_."

The polite applause died. Abbey reached under the table and squeezed Olivia's hand, only adding to her nerves. Time seemed to slow. A camera man crouched a couple yards from her, ready to capture her reaction.

"And the statuette of a naked man that eerily resembles Brad Pitt in the 90s goes to…" _laughter_. She ripped the delicate seal open, "Olivia Pope in _Underground Kings._"

The applause roared as Olivia rose from her chair. Abbey pulled her in for a big hug. She hugged a few others on her way to the stage. Julia Roberts handed her the award. She faced the microphone and took a deep breath. _Don't screw this up._ Amongst the crowd, one face shone brighter than the rest. Fitz was cheezing it like a goof. His blue eyes shined like sapphires with pride.

She knew she couldn't thank him, but as she held eye contact with him, she knew that he understood. After thanking the Guild, she rattled off the names of her agent, costars, director, producer, and everyone directly involved with the film. She closed by thanking her father and telling him she loved him. She knew he probably wasn't watching. She hoped he at least saw her name in the entertainment section of the newspaper the next morning.

She was escorted off of the stage. The congratulations began. Olivia felt lightheaded from all of the legendary actors and actresses that she studied and adored praising her. As the excitement died down, she started back to her seat. The hallway leading to the ballroom area was nearly deserted.

When Olivia thought she was alone she felt a hand, that she immediately recognized, snake its way onto the small of her back. "Follow me." Fitz's deep voice whispered in her ear as he walked on with his usual pace. Olivia looked around to see if anyone saw their exchange, but they were completely alone. He slipped into a room off of the corridor.

Olivia followed him into what appeared to be a technical closet. There was a wall of wires with tiny lights flashing. Fitz flipped the lock on the door and smiled a devastatingly sexy smile.

"Come here."

Fitz pulled her tiny body flush against him. The whole evening, he had watched her from behind, waiting for this moment when he could take her into his arms. She looked so beautiful, it was pure torture. Her heartbeat fluttered against his chest as she looked up at him with a suppressed grin.

"Congratulations" He peppered kisses along her face with each syllable before finally nibbling on her lower lip. "I'm so proud of you."

"Thank you." She whispered, eyes shut in bliss. The only sound was of the low whirring of computers. She snaked her fingers into his hair and pulled him back down for another kiss. They languished in the kiss, not rushing it. Fitz slid his tongue along her lips, requesting access. His hands were resting contentedly on her ass.

Olivia didn't care that her makeup was probably smudging. Winning the award was an honor, but being in his arms was the best part of the night. She wanted to jump him right then and there and have him give it to her from behind, but her dress was too complicated and she had to return it the next day with no damage.

"We should go back out there." Olivia broke the kiss. She ran her fingertips over Fitz's red ears. She loved how red they got when he was aroused.

"I don't want to. I don't care about it." Fitz kissed the tip of her nose.

"Me neither, but we should. We don't want people talking, and it would be rude of me." Olivia used her thumb to wipe her lipstick from his mouth.

"You are right. Who should go first?"

"You should. Give a light knock if the coast is clear."

"Alright, but first…" Fitz assaulted her lips with a kiss more passionate than before.

When Olivia felt them getting carried away again, she pulled away. "Okay. Go. And text me later."

"I love you."

"I love you too."

Olivia waited for the safety knock before returning to Abbey at her table.

"What took you so long?"

"I was talking to some people." Olivia lied. She had yet to fill Abbey in on her relationship with Fitz. As far as Abbey knew, they had never met.

"We are going to go celebrate after this. I heard Robert Downey Jr. was throwing an after party. We _have_ to go."

"I don't know…" Parties weren't really her thing. She would do charity events and balls, but the dingy parties held in starlet's apartments weren't really her thing. She wasn't a socialite of the Hollywood crowd, anyways.

"Come _on_. When was the last time you actually had some fun? I'll be there the whole time."

"Fine. I'll think about it." Olivia conceded. Maybe a night out would do some good.

"It will be fun, I promise."

Olivia whipped her phone out of her clutch

**Olivia: **Abbey is dragging me to the party at Robert Downey Jr.'s. Come?

**Fitz:** Sure. I'll meet you there

/

The show ended, and the people began to file out of the ballroom. Olivia and Abbey agreed to go home and change before heading to the party. As they exited the building, the cold air whipped around Olivia's shoulders. She shivered, silently chiding herself for not bringing a jacket. Paparazzi flashed their cameras and a string of fans stood behind the barricades, screaming her name. It was all overwhelming, but it was one of the things about being an actress that Olivia was trying to get used to.

She walked over to the fans holding out pictures and cameras. The fans were so sweet as she signed autographs and took pictures with them. As she was about halfway through the line, their car pulled around.

"Liv. Come on." Abbey called out as she stepped into the black SUV.

"Just a minute. I'm almost done." Olivia went back to her fans. As she turned around to take a selfie with a young girl, the mood of the crowd shifted. Someone pushed their way to have a spot along the barricade. A rough pair of hands grabbed at the seam of her dress right below her shoulder blade. She heard a rip as she called out for Abbey. She was pulled further into the crowd as confusion turned into terror.

_Where is Abbey?_

The cold metal of the barricade bit into her back as the hands snaked around to her torso and breasts, desperately groping. His breath smelled awful and made her almost gag. Olivia swung her elbow and fists back at the aggressor, but nothing connected.

Like an angel out of a dream, Fitz appeared, sprinting, shrugging his tuxedo jacket off. With a swift uppercut, his fist connected with the nose of the man, sending him reeling back and freeing Olivia. She scrambled to discover the damage to her dress. Her back was exposed, and she had to hold the front of her dress up to keep it from sliding off of her.

Fitz was now sending another punch to the face of the man who attacked Olivia. This sent the man flying on his back out of reach. He shook the pain off of his knuckles and turned around to see Olivia kneeling, struggling to keep her dress covering her.

"Livvie." He picked his abandoned jacket up and wrapped it around her, swallowing her up. Before she had a chance to stand, he picked her up and carried her to his car that was waiting. The bulbs of the paparazzi flashed brighter. Olivia was all the more confused, but she knew at this point, she was safe. She relaxed in his arms and deeply inhaled the familiar scent of his jacket. He set her down gently in the passenger seat and kissed her cheek "I'll be back in a second."

She saw Fitz go talk to Abbey through the tinted windows. Abbey nodded and went back to her car. Fitz returned and pulled onto the main road. After he merged into traffic, he looked over at Olivia who was staring at him intently. He reached and laced his fingers through hers, pulling her hand to his lips.

"I told Abbey I was going to take you home. You are safe, Livvie. I love you."


	8. Written By Machines

**This is a little note of appreciation for your reviews. They are so incredible. I honestly can't express how flattering it is. It also motivates me to update these quickly, so it's a win/win situation. I also wasn't planning on making this chapter so long, but I got a wee bit carried away.**

**I hope you enjoy it!**

*****Also, I meant to go back and give a name to the publicist in the last chapter, but I forgot. {oops} Just assume I named her Anna.*****

London Beckoned Songs About Money Written By Machines—Panic! At The Disco

Stop stalling, make a name for yourself  
>Boy, you better put that pen to paper and charm your way out<br>If you talk it, you better walk it, you better back your shit up  
>With more than good hooks while you're all under the gun<p>

I'm burning and I'm black in my lungs  
>Boy, you know it feels good with fire back on your tongue<br>If you talk it, you better walk it, you better back your shit up  
>With more than good hooks while you're all under the gun<p>

* * *

><p>They drove in silence until Fitz pulled into her driveway. Fitz hopped out of the car and went to open her door. He reached to pick Olivia up, but she stopped him with a hand to his chest.<p>

"I can walk. Thank you." She kissed him softly and stepped out of the car. His jacket still hung around her shoulders, making her look even tinier. She struggled with her dress and her shoes, but she managed to get inside. Fitz followed, switching on the light. "What do you want to drink? I'm having wine, but I think I have some scotch in the cabinet."

"Scotch, if it isn't too much trouble."

On her way to the kitchen, Olivia let her dress slide down, off of her body. She set it over the chair, sighing at the damage. Pulling Fitz's jacket tighter around her like a robe, she was wearing nothing but her lingerie set beneath it. There was nothing but the sound of her pouring their drinks, until Fitz broke the silence.

"I want you to get a security guard for public events."

"Okay." She handed him the glass of scotch and sat down next to him on the sofa.

"And I want you to get a better security system here. At least video surveillance."

"Okay." Olivia replied in the same voice. She took a large sip of her wine glass and stared into the burgundy liquid swishing before her.

"Okay?" He raised an eyebrow.

"_Okay_." Her eyes met his. She was not crying, but her face was wrought with disturbance. "Just give me a minute."

Fitz leaned back and sipped the scotch. He watched her form the corner of his eye. She was fidgeting with the lapel of his coat, her mind whirling a million miles per hour. She was replaying the night. The red carpet, the awards show, winning the award, her speech, Fitz's eyes, the technical closet, the rest of the show, the chilly walk out to the car, the fans, the autographs, the picture with the young fan, the greasy fingers wrapping around her breasts and ripping her dress, Fitz punching him, falling to the ground to keep her dress around her, Fitz's jacket wrapping around her, Fitz picking her up and carrying her to his car, the kiss she planted on his lips, the kiss that was her desperately clinging to whatever was familiar and safe, Fitz talking to Abbey briefly, to the silent car ride home that had them where they were sitting right then and there.

She sprung up and ran out of the room.

"Olivia?"

"Just a minute. Stay there." She called out from her bedroom. She returned with her laptop tucked underneath her arm. She sat down in the middle of the couch and opened her laptop. His jacket, still hanging on her shoulders, had fallen open. Her breasts heaved against the constraints of her bra.

"Shit." She brought a hand up to her mouth as she scrolled down the pages of her computer screen.

"What?" Futz scooted across the couch to where he could see the screen. She had googled her name and clicked the news tab. The headlines made his heart drop.

_**OLIVIA POPE **__IS ASSAULTED AT SAG AWARDS_

_FITZGERALD GRANT SAVES __**OLIVIA POPE**__'S LIFE ON THE RED CARPET_

_MAD MAN RIPS__** OLIVIA POPE**__'S__DRESS OFF ON RED CARPET_

_NEW COUPLE ALERT? __**OLIVIA POPE**__ AND FITZGERALD GRANT_

_NIP SLIP?! __**OLIVIA POPE**__ SUFFERS WARDROBE MALFUNCTION AFTER SAG AWARDS_

_FITZ GRANT: __**OLIVIA POPE**__'S KNIGHT IN SHINING ARMOUR?_

Olivia clicked on a link that brought her to a shaky cell phone video. It replayed from an angle of the man reaching around Olivia and groping her. She shuttered at the sight of his face. She couldn't tell from the video if he had a beard, or if his face was just that dirty. He was tall, probably about 6'3". He wore a black beanie that covered most of his forehead. She watched the image of herself flailing in his arms in horror. The slit up her leg exposed her lingerie—lingerie that she had only planned on Fitz to see, but now anyone with an Internet connection could see. She watched Fitz appear, swinging his fist into the attacker's face. She watched herself fall to the ground out of his arms and try to salvage her dress. Although the quality of the video was awful, she was positive that the professional paparazzi clicking away captured whatever skin exposed itself. She watched from the computer as Fitz picked her up and carried her to the car. The simple kiss that was illuminated by the camera flashes like a strobe light.

The video ended there.

Olivia finally let the tears fall silently. They were the single expression of her confusion and shame at the incident. Fitz wrapped his arms around her shoulders, hugging her close to his chest. She wiped her tears and stood up, not allowing herself to get lost in his embrace.

"I need to call my publicist over. You should stay. She'll probably want to talk to you too about this. I'll obviously need to go change though." She motioned down to her outfit, or lake thereof. "We need to figure out our next move once she gets here. How public we should go with this, what should happen to this man, that kind of stuff…" Her voice was strong and without the emotions expressed on her soaked cheeks.

"Livvie." Fitz interrupted and reached out and took her hands in his, soothingly rubbing his thumbs across the back of her hands. "Are you okay?"

"I'm fine." She answered too quickly. "Okay, I'm not quite there, but I will be. I need to work this out for my career first. I need to make sure that is taken care of before I can think about myself."

"Okay. Whatever you need, I'm here for it." He stood and kissed her on the cheek. Olivia went to retrieve her phone. After scrolling through all of her messages from friends asking if she was okay, she called her publicist, Anna. She was already on that side of the city, and agreed to come over in ten minutes. Olivia changed into leggings and a loose sweater.

Right on time, Anna appeared, holding her laptop and a yellow legal notepad. "How are you, sweetie? I saw the videos. We have a lot of work to do."

"I'm fine. Come on in." Anna walked past her into the living room.

"Hey, Anna. It's been a while." Fitz greeted her. They knew each other well, being so involved in the industry. Olivia offered her a glass of wine, which she declined. Anna sat across from Fitz and Olivia who were sat down next to each other on the couch.

"It has. I heard you were embarking on a risky new project over at Beene Studios. Please tell me that's true."

"It is, but that is all I can tell you at this point."

"Well it sounds promising. Anyways, let's get down to business. I already got a call from Prada about your dress. They won't charge you for the damage, but they do still want the dress back. I can take it by their LA office in the morning. The man who attacked you, his name is Robert Andrews, will be spending the night at the jail. All that they have told me at this point is that he has no permanent residency and no family that he knows of. He hasn't a cent for bail, so he will be spending the night there. He is being charged with assault. If you want to press any civil charges or file a restraining order, then you can."

"I'll talk to my lawyer about the possibilities."

"Good. Now we move on to the optics side of this." Anna eyed Olivia and Fitz, "I'm going to need you to be 100% honest with me. How long has _this_ been going on?" She waved her pen in their direction.

Fitz placed his hand on Olivia's knee and gave it a light squeeze. Olivia instinctively laced her fingers through his, and spoke up. "Four years ago. When I first came to Los Angeles for a couple of months. It ended when I moved back to New York. We got back together about a week and a half ago. We were planning to keep this a secret until after the Academy Awards—to not bring any unwanted attention. But…" Olivia patted her hand against Fitz's, "I guess that can be shot to hell now."

"To put it lightly." Anna noted, scribbling onto her notepad. "Have you two seen the pictures?"

"We saw a cell phone video, but that is all."

Anna pursed her lips as she opened her laptop and tapped into it tightly. After a few keystrokes, she turned the laptop around and set it on the coffee table. "Scroll to the left."

Olivia and Fitz flipped through the pictures. They were as bad as she imagined. In one picture, her slit had opened wide enough to expose her entire panty set. Her right breast spilled out of her dress, and you could clearly see her nipple through the lacy material. Olivia didn't dwell on that photo, quickly moving on. She paused on the picture of Fitz carrying her to the car. Her eyes were shut and she was burying half of her face into his chest. Fitz's eyes were clear and focused and it was clear that his one goal was to keep her safe.

She kept moving through the pictures until she landed on the picture of her kissing him in the car. Her eyes were closed, and her lips were placed delicately on his. One of her hands was deep in his curls, the other was resting her fingertips against his chin, right below their lips. His eyes, were slightly open, looking at her in complete love and adoration. They sat there, looking at the picture together. There was a candid energy to it that captured their crazy relationship together.

"That's a good angle, don't you think? We could put that in the cheesy slideshow before our wedding." Fitz playfully nudged Olivia.

For the first time since the incident, Olivia smiled. It was an unfiltered giggle that erupted across her lips and reached her eyes with its warmth. Fitz watched her as she looked at the picture with the remnants of her amusement evident on her face. Anna watched from across the living room. She could tell that they were gone for each other. There was a way they moved around each other that was so unknowingly in sync.

"So, the media is pursuing this to shed you two in a positive light. Olivia is the damsel in distress, and Fitz is the knight in shining armor. That kind of narrative. Robert Andrews is the scary villain. The public will want to see him put in prison, and that in itself will be a circus show. But back to you two, this was one hell of a way to come out with your relationship. You two are the darlings of Hollywood now. You possess the potential of Brad Pitt and Angelina Jolie, if you play this right. My advice would be to publically wear your relationship out in public. Olivia, your 'I don't talk about my personal life' policy was noble at first, but it won't exactly work anymore. You don't have to tell them what positions you prefer in bed, but you will have to reveal some insight. You can make some of it up, if you want."

"We don't want this to turn into some publicity stunt." Fitz protested.

"It doesn't have to be that way. But if Olivia refuses to talk about it, then people's perceptions of her will change. The best case scenario is that they will label her as boring and move on to the next starlet, or they will label her as an uppity bitch. It is sexist, and I hate it, but that is how it is." Anna smiled sympathetically.

"It is okay. We can do this." Olivia looked at Fitz and gave him a reassuring squeeze of his hand. "So give me a scenario, and tell me what I should say." Olivia turned back to Anna.

"Okay. So imagine Robin Roberts says, 'tell me about how life with Prince Charming has been. How long were you keeping it secret?' You would smile sweetly and say, 'It is incredible. We actually met four years ago. He was one of the first people I knew here in town. We started dating again just a couple weeks ago.'"

"Can we keep the part about us being together four years ago out?" Olivia thought about the article with the false quotes he said about her. She didn't want people digging that up. She didn't want questions about why they broke up.

"Sure. Whatever you want to tell the public, they will eat it up. You control the narrative at this point. The ball is in your court."

Olivia nodded.

Anna pursed her lips, trying to find the right words for what she was about to say, "Now, there is the problem that was created by your dress and how much it revealed. You suffered a nip slip, and everyone saw your undergarments. Fortunately, this is not as big of a deal as you might think. You have been in nude scenes before, so that takes some of the interest away from the public. This will pass over really quickly. Think of Jennifer Lawrence's nudes being leaked last year. The scandal lasted about a week, and she revealed even more. Give it a couple days and the news cycle will stop showing the pictures. The bad news is that the next couple of days will be brutal. Feminist groups and generally decent people will urge others to not look at them because it is exploiting you, but the majority of the public is curious. The comment sections will be filled with perverts. I advise you to not even look at them."

"Okay. I can do that." Olivia agreed. They practiced interview questions and how to react to the public for several hours. At around two AM, Anna left with the dress. Fitz and Olivia watched her car headlights flash through the windows as she pulled away. When the sound of her car was far down the road, Fitz turned to look down at Olivia who had laid down on the couch during the interview practice with her head in his lap.

"You look exhausted."

"Mmmhmmm." Olivia mumbled as she allowed her eyes to close.

"Come on, let's go to bed."

"Mmmkay." Olivia hung her arms around his neck, letting Fitz carry her to the bedroom.

They crawled into bed, and nestled into comfortable positions against each other. With his muscular arms wrapped around her torso, the tragedies that happened earlier that night seemed a million years away.

/

"FUCK." Cyrus growled as he stared at his computer screen. "What the hell is he doing?" The video of Fitz rescuing Olivia replayed itself before him. He slammed his laptop close so hard he thought he might have shattered the screen. He ran a hand through his thinning hair.

_Fitz was ruining everything. If Olivia has her tiny fingers around his heart, then he can't think clearly. He is weak and he is vulnerable. If they have a messy breakup around the time of the filming of their new project, then the studio would be pouring millions of dollars down the drain. If the break up… They broke up once before... _

Cyrus thought about all of the manipulation he had to do to break them up in the first place. They probably put all of the pieces together. They must _know_ about his involvement. It would only take a well written blog article, or a 'tell-all' with Oprah to reveal the lengths Cyrus goes through to keep the mechanisms of this sordid town well-oiled and functioning. He would be ruined. Business deals would dissolve. His studio would crumble. All of the work he spent his entire life on would be slapped with a red mark and passed on to the recycling ben.

_That couldn't happen._

Cyrus leaned back in his leather office chair. He regarded Fitz and Olivia's relationship. He tried to figure out why after four years, Fitz would finally reconnect. Then it hit him: _The Golden Globes. _Once Olivia won the Golden Globe, naming her the frontrunner for the Oscar, Fitz was suddenly interested again. It was her success he was chasing now. It was the name recognition. It was the fame factor. Cyrus smiled as he realized the science behind it.

The only way to make them part ways, was to ruin the one thing holding them together—Olivia's success. His multi-billion dollar business depended on it. Fitz would probably even thank him for it sometime far in the future. The voting ballots for the Oscars had just been handed out to Academy members, but were not due for another week.

Cyrus pulled out his cell phone and dialed a number not in his contacts.

"Hey boss. What do you need me for this time?"

"Charlie. Do you still have connections to that computer nerd in Palo Alto?"

/

Olivia laughed uncontrollably as Fitz tickled her sides. She snorted, making her laugh even harder.

"Stop! Stop! Or I won't feed you anymore."

She was straddling his abs in her night gown. In her hand, she held a bowl of grapes that she had been feeding him for breakfast. They agreed to stay in bed all morning, after such an exhaustive night. In some sense, it was them running from their responsibilities. They shared a slice of heavenly comfort in that bed together, and neither one wanted to give it up just yet.

"Okay, okay fine." Fitz dropped his hands from her tummy and rested them on her thighs. He opened his mouth and closed his eyes. Olivia held a grape way up in the air and tried to drop it in his mouth. It bounced off of his nose and landed on the pillow by him. Olivia quickly recovered it and popped it in her mouth.

"Ugh. I feel like one of those Greek gods that does nothing but sit around all day and get fed grapes by a beautiful muse. Except, I've been cursed with a muse that is stubborn as hell, and won't feed me any damn grapes."

"Shutup. You are so corny." Olivia rolled her eyes as she finally slipped some grapes into his mouth.

Olivia set the bowl of grapes on the bedside table as she began to kiss Fitz's neck. She let her lips trace along his jaw to his ear. Fitz moaned as she took his ear lobe between her teeth, tugging it gently. "I can be a good muse, I swear." She breathed into his ear in the sexiest voice she could muster.

"Sit on my face, Livvie." Fitz growled.

He pulled her panties off and Olivia scooted up towards the headboard. She had not done this with Fitz before. They had not even had sex in four years. Fitz kissed her navel and her thighs as she settled into position. Fitz palmed her ass roughly and began to kiss sloppily everywhere but her drenched sex. When he finally flattened his tongue against her slit, she gasped, throwing her head back. He sucked her clit into his mouth, sucking her arousal off of it.

Olivia was in heaven, with a white knuckled grasp on the headboard. Fitz hooked his arms around her thighs, keeping her stable as he licked her pussy. Her animalistic calls motivated him even more. As her breathing became more labored, he knew she was nearing her orgasm. He hummed as he nibbled on her clit, sending her over the edge. She came on his tongue, yelling his name.

Fitz propped his knees up and slid her back to where she was resting against them. The view was breathtaking. Her eyes were shut and her chest was heaving from her pleasure. Her pussy was still exposed to his face. Fitz enjoyed the view, massaging her thighs softly until she could gain the strength to open her eyes.

"Hi." Olivia smiled.

"Hi." Fitz flipped them over so he was settled between her legs. Her wetness still coated his mouth as he kissed her on the lips. "Can you taste yourself, baby? Lick yourself off of my face."

Olivia tasted herself off of his face. She let a hand wander aimlessly down his washboard abs until they settled on his sweatpants. She rubbed his erection through his pants, until it was even firmer than before. Olivia loved the way Fitz groaned into her with each stroke. She used her feet to kick his waistband down.

"Condom." Fitz grunted as he tried to climb off of her and reach for the nightstand.

"Pill." Olivia countered as she tightened her legs around him, pulling him back against her.

Fitz aligned himself with her as he slowly entered, allowing her to get accustomed to his size. Olivia moaned, throwing her head back, but Fitz pulled her chin down to where they were eye to eye. "Tell me when to move."

"Move." Fitz began to pump slow, tortuous strokes into her. With every stroke, he filled her walls completely, bringing ultimate satisfaction to both of them. It was the familiarity of four years ago combined with the excitement of their future together. Olivia couldn't stop the silent tears sliding sideways down her cheeks. They were tears of happiness. Despite the chaos around her life, she had found her rock.

Fitz kept his smooth pace, hooking her leg over his shoulder to hit her spot. Their moans were even in sync. Fitz could feel his end come soon, so he pulled his cock out to the tip. Finding himself in Olivia's salty eyes, he slammed himself to the hilt into her, sending her spiraling over the edge for the second time that morning. He managed to hold it out until her orgasm finished before spilling his seed into her.

Fitz tried to roll off of her, but she held him close, loving the feeling of his weight against her.

"I like this." Olivia whispered after several minutes.

"What?"

"Doing it without a condom. We never did that before, remember?"

"Yeah, I remember. I'm in this for forever, you know." Fitz kissed her temple before pulling out and pulling her against his chest.

"You are my forever." Olivia whispered. She propped her chin on his chest and touched his lips with her fingertips. "Can I ask you an important question?"

"Shoot." Fitz mumbled against her fingers.

"Will you be my official escort to the Oscars?"

* * *

><p><strong>A heads up that I'll be updating <strong>_**Hold Onto Me**_** next, so there might be a little break. Leave your thoughts and comments below!**


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